"The Medium is the Massage"

I have just finished reading "The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects" by Marshal McLuhan and Quentin Fiore. To completely understand this book I had to again consult Wikipedia. I found this book to be interesting because of the way it is presented. There are many pictures throughout the book and some of the text is mirrored or upside down. I think that this was done to reinforce the authors' point that a message depends on how we interpret the medium. That the technologies are the messages.

I hadn't realized that the title of the book contained "Massage" rather than "Message." After some background reading, I learned that this was done semi-intentional. McLuhan had often used puns on the term "message", referring to it as "mass age" or "mess age" or "massage." He had thought that the mediums "massaged" the viewers senses.

I enjoyed the short reference to John Cage. I had taken a Music History class in the past where we studied some of the works and philosophies of Cage. It makes sense that he was mentioned in this book because he composed his pieces in a very strange fashion. He reinforces the idea that listening to music and sounds and the way they are presented is more important than the music itself.

Again, this philosophical reading was kind've difficult for me to understand completely. I hope that my insights are accurate. I look forward to discussion in class.