McLuhan in Reverse: His General Theory of Media (GToM)

McLuhan in Reverse argues that Marshall McLuhans body of work constitutes a General Theory of Media (GToM) characterized by reversals such as figure and ground, cause and effect, percepts and concepts, and the medium and its content. Logan has identified nine other elements of the GToM, including probes, figure/ground analysis, the idea that the medium is the message, the subliminal nature of ground or environment, the reversal of cause and effect, the importance of percept over concept, the division of communication into the oral, written, and electric ages, the notion of the global village, and media as environments.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 146 pages
Publication date: 23 June 2021
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc

Here is the rephrased text:

Marshall McLuhan's "McLuhan in Reverse" presents two groundbreaking theses about his extensive body of work. The first thesis asserts that, despite McLuhan's assertion that he did not operate from a specific theory, his corpus of work can be considered a comprehensive theory, referred to as the General Theory of Media (GToM) by Robert K. Logan. The second thesis highlights the distinctive features of McLuhan's GToM, which encompass a series of reversals. These reversals involve his treatment of figure and ground, cause and effect, perceptions and concepts, as well as the relationship between the medium and its content, famously encapsulated in his renowned one-liner, "the medium is the message."

While McLuhan's Laws of Media are integral components of his GToM, Logan has identified nine additional elements that contribute to its framework. These elements include the use of probes, figure/ground analysis, the notion that the medium is the message, the subliminal revelation of the ground or environment through the creation of an anti-environment, the reversal of cause and effect, the prioritization of percept over concept, emphasizing the human sensorium and media as extensions of the human body, the division of communication into the oral, written, and electric ages, along with concepts of acoustic and visual space, the concept of the global village, and the recognition of media as environments, leading to the development of media ecology.

These theses shed new light on McLuhan's intellectual legacy and provide a deeper understanding of his media-centric perspective. They highlight the reversals and complexities inherent in his work, challenging traditional notions of communication and media and paving the way for new perspectives on the role of technology and media in shaping our world.

Weight: 241g
Dimension: 225 x 150 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781433182464
Edition number: New ed