McLuhan writes on the relationship between man and technology. He talks about technology and media being “extensions of man,” meaning the influence the medium has on society as a whole should be taken into consideration more than what the contents the medium has. “All media are extensions of some human faculty — psychic or physical.” McLuhan speaks on the influence media has not only physically, but mentally, and can poke at the minds of the people. It’s interesting to see the breakdown of creations most don’t really give second thought to. For example, clothing being an extension of the skin, or a book is an extension of the eye. Through these comparisons, it’s easier to grasp the theme of creations having an origin. Without skin or bodies, we wouldn’t have anything to clothe. Without eyes, we wouldn’t be able to read a book. These things would probably not even exist. These creations would no longer have any meaning.

The hazards of technological progress that McLuhan speaks of are pretty much the same as those talked about today too. He asks, “When this circuit learns your job, what are you going to do?” With more and more technological advancements, the more humans rely on it to do humans jobs. This is the same issue we see today within minimum wage jobs; instead of having 5 registers lined up with 5 other people to take your order, you’re now faced with 4 order kiosks for you to order for yourself, and a single employee to take orders. The creations will eventually take over human jobs; “mechanization” gone bad.

McLuhan states, “The medium is the message.” A designer’s work is inferior to the media they use to create because it is trying to do the work of past media. McLuhan explains how this makes things difficult because new pieces of work are approached with the same responses as the old; it’s what society has grown accustomed to. According to McLuhan, in order for artists and designers to play a decent role in creating new messages, they should have goals. He claims that students no longer strive towards goals, but wish for roles. It sounds like McLuhan portrays many upcoming designers as looking for a job where they’re just ordered around on what to do with no thought for themselves. He explains there should be a shift in education from instruction to discovery, allowing artists and designers to learn a natural creative thought process and individuality.