Throughout the ages, the art world has been constantly changing. As the art world changes, we as artists attempt to keep up. To keep up with the changing art world, artists and viewers must constantly have an open mind and be open to new ideas. This is probably one of the most difficult challenges to face as an artist and as a viewer of art.

Art has come a long way from supposedly primitive cave drawings to beautiful paintings and sculptures to installations that make us think in new ways. I believe the point of McLuhan’s “Medium is the Massage” is to demonstrate that media influences how the message is perceived. When I listened to “The Medium is the Message,” the audio version impacted me in unexpected ways. Usually when I listen to music or the radio, I can divide my attention and do other things as I am listening. This audio file consumed my entire focus, however. I was no longer able to hear anyone or anything else. I believe this was due to the nature of the record. It was jumbled which made it difficult to tell what was going on. Therefore, it required my entire focus to be able to maintain focus.

I had a much easier time reading the book “The Medium is the Message.” It was printed in a font that was easily readable and had pictures to reinforce its ideas. I am a very visual person. Being very visual makes looking at pictures and words a much easier means of comprehending a message than listening to someone say words.

McLuhan believed that the medium influences how the message is perceived. In these two forms, he demonstrates this belief and to an extent, it works. The recording has more of an impact and seems more tangible. While the visual version makes the message easier to understand, it also makes less of an impact on me, personally. So the media seem to make a difference.

McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Message” is a hard concept to grasp. It requires thinking about objects around you differently than you have before. The medium influences how the message is perceived. Maybe I should have turned this paper into a recording and it would have made more of an impact.