In Class Work 9/28

McLuhan’s ideas of amplification/amputation, hot and cold media, and the medium is the message can all be incorporated into my paper. Firstly, visual effects and multitrack recorder amplify and amputate the user. For instance, the invention of motion control cameras that are programmed to make repetitive and accurate movement acts as an extension of a camera operators arm but amputates because it is impossible to replicate the movements of a computer. In multitrack recording, the ability to modify the artists voice is an amplification, however, the artist is unable to reproduce this when performing live. Hot and cold media can also be applied to visual effects and multitrack recorders. Visual effects create movies that are more realistic and immersive; they heat the medium up. Multitrack recorders allow artists to “perfect” or tidy up the sound of their music in a way they are unable to when recording in a studio. Both technologies heat up the medium, now viewers and listeners don’t have to put in as much effort as they previously did to understand/decipher the media they are consuming. Lastly, paywalls affirm that the medium is the message. Paywalls themselves send a message to the audience that only a certain group has access to their content.