Extensions of Media and Technology

Instructor

Anijo Mathew

Marshall McLuhan compares the situation of media in a socio-cultural context to Gestalt psychology of ‘figure-ground relationships’, a concept familiar to designers. In this comparison McLuhan asserts that to fully grasp the effect of a new technology; one must examine the technical artifact as the figure (medium) and the socio-cultural context as ground (context). Not only must figure and ground be evaluated together, but also as a critique to one – another. In particular this is important since neither is completely intelligible without the other and because without the context that an interaction is set in, it is difficult to generate or evaluate that interaction. Without such contextual understanding, the subject of our experiences becomes indiscernible from the everyday noise that our experiences are contained within.

The Extensions of Media and Technology seminar is designed to engage students in a critical discussion about contemporary media and technology and the socio-cultural contexts in which they are situated. Theoretical notions as well as contemporary critique of media, technology and their appropriations will be explored through the lectures. Based on the topic of discussion each week, students will also be asked to critique designs that engage (or do not engage) user experience and embodied interaction; or define (or do not define) extensions of media and technology in specific social and cultural contexts.

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