The (social) medium is the message
McLuhan: Prophecy about social media and “mobile-first”, back in the 60s?
Is it possible that the medium used for digital marketing is more important than the actual content — regardless of the trends towards storytelling and content marketing? “Nonsense”, the content strategist of any marketing agency would say. McLuhan made this assumption in the 1960s. However, if one takes a closer look at it, his words seem like a science fiction prophecy in terms of today’s media diversity and the predominant mobile-first movement. Food for Thought for marketers and those interested in it.
Although McLuhan developed his theory long before the digital age, his thoughts can offer a new perspective on modern communication platforms such as social media. He believed that the medium used to convey the message has a significant influence on how the content is received and digested. Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian professor and philosopher and his work is renowned as the foundation of media theory. Most notably, he is known for coining the phrase “The medium is the message”. This statement first appeared in his book “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man”, which was published in 1964.
McLuhan argues that the medium of communication itself and not the messages it conveys should be the focus. McLuhan’s starting point is always the individual since he defines media as technological extensions of the body. He was investigating the effects of media on people’ s lives. He used the term “media” in a very broad sense including the spoken word, the written word (e.g. in a manuscript), printing (e.g. in lithography or woodcut), comics, the printed word (for example, in typography), telephone, films, radio, television, etc.
The medium thus defines (or is) the message. Let us take a look at how the various media have developed over the years.
Moving from the Gutenberg Galaxy to the Turing Galaxy
Before the invention of the printing press, books used to be handwritten. Only after Gutenberg printed the first copies of the Bible in 1454, mass media has been established. Every evolving technology; radio, television, the World Wide Web; led to a new perception in society and had its own advantages and disadvantages. As early as the 1960s, McLuhan spoke of the “Electric Environment: Everything happens at once, there is no connection, no follow-through,… It’s just all now”. Besides, he coined the term “global village”, which is widely used today as a metaphor for the internet and the world wide web. His futuristic thoughts can be applied to the information overload of today. Today, a single tweet can reach millions of people in seconds. At present, social media has 3.8 billion users worldwide and by mid-2020, more than half of the world’s population will be using social media.
McLuhan referred to the so-called Gutenberg Galaxy as a world shaped by the printed book. Decades later, the concept of the Turing Galaxy emerged as a standard for today’s computer-based lifestyle. The term is derived from the British mathematician Alan Turing, who contributed a large part of the theoretical foundations for modern information and computer technology. The foundation for this was set by the Turing Machine, developed in 1936.
Both principles imply that it is the currently available technology that influences how societies change over time.
The (Social) Media is the Message
For marketing experts, McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Message” methodology shows that the way a message is delivered is strongly influenced by the channel through which it is transmitted. Audience reaction depends not only on what is said but also on the medium through which the message is delivered. A good example is social media. The message changes according to the nature of the platform, for example, the tone of voice on LinkedIn and Snapchat media is fundamentally different.
1. Facebook
Facebook is a platform that provides a rather casual and entertaining social media experience. The medium is, so to speak, the message of social connections.
Today, more and more people are turning to Facebook when they want to communicate with a company. Whether they want to ask a question or file a complaint, Facebook Messenger is a popular medium for customer service. Compared to other social media platforms, Facebook still has the largest reach with 2.5 billion active users per month, and many B2C companies have discovered that it is an excellent tool for increasing brand awareness.
2. Twitter
Twitter restricts users to the publication of posts of 280 characters (initially 140), intended to draw attention immediately and concisely. This bite-sized flow of information is aimed at people who only have time to skim the news but then have the opportunity to click on a link and continue reading. Twitter is a medium geared toward efficiency and urgency.
However, it is important for companies not to appear too sales-oriented when interacting with the audience. The goal is to provide helpful information, not to deliberately put the company in the spotlight.
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn as a medium is primarily used for business networking. Therefore, the development of a strong company profile should be established with great effort. Especially B2B companies often find it challenging to use social media for generating leads, as social platforms are often used for private activities. This is not a problem on LinkedIn, as the context in which it operates is designed for professional networking.
4. Instagram
Here, the medium is the message of visual interest. Instagram offers companies the opportunity to personalize their brand. This platform provides a unique capability to connect a brand to its audience and build a relationship with them. Here, corporate values, work culture and satisfied customers can be showcased using appealing images.
5. TikTok
The newcomer among social platforms has grown immensely over the past year and now has 800 million active users per month. However, more than 60% of the total users are based in China, followed by India. Despite the country-specific differences, TikTok climbed to sixth place in the worldwide ranking of mobile apps 2019 and is also gaining popularity in Europe. The video platform is aimed at a younger audience. According to marketing trends, this network offers an optimal platform for lifestyle brands, even more so if the target group is relatively young.
6. Snapchat
Snapchat is not for you? But it might be for your target group. After all, the Snapchat platform is aimed at a young audience just as TikTok. Snapchat is the right place for a company that wants to engage with people under the age of 35, as 82% of all Snapchat users are 34 years old or younger. Despite declining numbers, it is still among the 15 most popular social media platforms worldwide.
McLuhan’s theories offer marketing experts a different view on the development of their communication strategy. Every platform is unique. Once a company knows its audience, it is easier to decide which medium will be most effective in reaching them. Ultimately, the chosen medium is the message.
„If you don’t understand the medium you don’t fully understand the message” — McLuhan
However, not only the channel is important. Mobile use of social media has surpassed desktop use for the first time, with 53.3% using smartphones, 44% using their desktop, and 2.7% accessing it on their tablets. Therefore, web designers have to follow a mobile-first strategy. The mobile-first approach basically describes the strategy of designing for the smallest screen and working one’s way up. For UX designers it is one of the best strategies to create either a responsive or adaptive design. Moreover, search engines now operate on the basis of mobile-first indexing. This implies that Google mainly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. The message is therefore shaped not only by the medium in terms of the chosen platform but also in terms of the underlying technology.
This article concludes with the top takeaway by the We Are Social annual social media study:
“In 2020, use data-driven insights to identify a handful of technologies and platforms that really matter to your brand’s success, and not simply to add the latest fads to your roadmap.”
So we see here too, content alone is not all that important if the wrong platform is chosen. Thus, after all:
„The Medium is the Message” — Marshall McLuhan, 1964