Digital McLuhan

1. What are the differences between the pre-literate acoustic world and the alphabetical visual world? How does the media of television become a part of the acoustic world?

Acoustic world contains space that comes before alphabet visual world. Within the acoustic world information emerges without limitations and comes from spaces of matter rather than fixed positions. While the alphabetical visual world is more commonly associated with television, media of television becomes involved when cyberspace of the internet becomes involved.

2. Why does the alphabet have the segregating tendencies? How exactly does the printing press reverse the segregating tendencies?

The alphabet is a format known for being portrayed as backward because of older formats of media like books or pictograph pre-dates the alphabet. But the alphabet has tendencies because biological or technological species and characteristics tend to accord the alphabet rather than provide a progression with improvements. However, the printing press was able to master to the acoustic world by providing the alphabet in multiple forms and languages during publication to expand to individuals.

3. How does the alphabetic communication in online communication make cyberspace acoustic? How is the online acoustic world different from the television, radio, or print acoustic world?

When accessing radio online, “RealAudio” is upon the user’s control because the user can access it anywhere with a computer rather than traditional broadcast thus making the acoustic space of online radio a now alphabetic transformation online. Alphabetic communication in the acoustic world is instant from anywhere in the world as oppose to television, radio, or print in the acoustic world which we absorb as we encounter it.

4. Not only do we invent media and media technologies but also we select their uses in different contexts. What are the two selection criteria? According to the selection criteria, please discuss what will happen to our online communication in 20 years.

The first criteria is the ambition people want media to extend our communications beyond the biological boundaries of naked seeing and hearing, and the second criteria is humanity wanting media to recapture elements of biological communication that early artificial extensions may have lost over time. With these two concepts in mind, communication will expand our way of thinking and change formalities in media to be pro acoustic rather than traditional alphabetic because of the effect that the acoustic world has had on media based off the article.