Andy’s New Media Blog

I think one of the most interesting aspects of considering computers as a creative medium is the fact that unlike other creative mediums, it is also a highly commercial product.  It’s true that books, magazines etc. are commercial products as well, but the computer is the first medium that allows me to read/watch/hear about something, buy it and have it sent anywhere I want without having to stand up.  That’s why I thought it was interesting how McLuhan links the progress of literature and media to the progress of technology and industry.  Until he pointed it out in his essay, I never really considered the Gutenberg press as being a fundamentally mechanical way of expressing ideas, but looking at it in this way makes reading the printed page seem just as remote and technical as a computer screen.

This is really interesting because computers could potentially be the medium that alters the creative direction of humanity in the same way the written word did.  McLuhan makes a good point when he says that the potential is there, but I think at this point we have to agree that its mostly still just potential.  I feel that one of the main hindrances to the fulfillment of this potential is the fact that computers are complex mechanical and commercial products that are still constrained .  As it stands right now, I feel that computers are essentially just taking past media and making it more convenient to access and enjoy.  The fact that I can quickly access information from Wikipedia, an encyclopedia that is far larger than any that could possibly exist in print is an obvious example.  I can also quickly watch television shows, listen to music, write a document with perfect handwriting, but these are just extensions of things I can do without a computer.  I’m not suggesting that there haven’t been innovations, the internet alone is a massive leap forward, but I definitely don’t think we’ve seen the full creative potential of computers realized yet.