Authors : Azam Jan, Shujaat Ali Khan, Sadaf Naz, Owais Khan and Abdul Qayum khan
Abstract: Marshall McLuhan in 1964 suggested that technologies of mass media make sure culture transmission in a social fabric which ultimately changes man’s social behavior. He states “We shape our tools and they in turn shape us”. Majority of the researchers in the area of communication speak about the radio and TV as the mediated tools but McLuhan professed a in a different way and added numbers, games and money as mediated tools. With respect to the numbers, he maintained that everyone in a movie theater enjoys the presence of their other counterparts in the hall. The phenomenon gives birth to a mass mind which let the decision makers to create a profile of the audience in the theater. This occurrence, consequently, create homogeneity in the crowed for easy influence. McLuhan added that games are mush like media of interpersonal communication and expansion of human social self. According to him, games “allow for people to simultaneously participate in an activity that is fun and that reflect who they are”. To McLuhan money is a tool that facilitates access. It is the tool of money that enables men to take a trip of the world and serve as spreader of information, wisdom and culture. These devices of mass communication according to Marshall McLuhan shape the world into a small global village. Social media platforms are playing mush similar role credited by Marshall McLuhan to number, game, money alongside with traditional mass media of radio and TV. The users of social media utilize very similar features and carry out more or less the same activities that convert them as a homogeneous audience. In the same manner, the profiles of social media users mirror similar features and majority of them guzzle social media platforms to have fun and enjoyment. Social networking media ensure connection of the people of various cultures, religions and boundaries and allow them enjoy the experience of being members of a single community. Social media platforms have not only transformed the world into a small village but also fashioned every facet of man’s social life.
Azam Jan, Shujaat Ali Khan, Sadaf Naz, Owais Khan and Abdul Qayum khan, 2021. Marshal McLuhan’s Technological Determinism Theory in the Arena of Social Media. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 18: 30-34.