🐰 Down The Rabbit Hole 🕳️

“The medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium—that is, of any extension of ourselves—result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.”

~ Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media

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Greetings!

Is there some way to avoid the influence of technological development? In the modern world, alas, this is more or less impossible. If Jacques Ellul, writing nearly a hundred years ago, was pessimistic about this possibility, how much less possible is this today? Today’s quote from Ellul reflects this pessimism:

“Modern technology has become a total phenomenon for civilization, the defining force of a new social order in which efficiency is no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity.”

~ Jacques Ellul

In previous installments, I have discussed the life and work of Neil Postman, who coined the term “media ecology.” Ellul here refers to the same reality that Postman points out: when a new technology is introduced into a culture, you don’t simply have that culture plus the new technology, you have a completely new culture. This is why Postman coined the term “media ecology”: media has an ecological relationship to culture. Just as in nature, if an invasive species is added to an ecosystem, that ecosystem will be forever changed by the new species, so culture is forever changed by the addition of the new media. This was the effect of Gutenberg’s press in the 15th century, the television in the 20th century, and the smartphone in the 21st century.

So, if according to Ellul, through technology “efficiency is no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity,” what can we do about it? It’s worth noting that Ellul is credited with coining the phrase, “Think globally, act locally.” As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, real change only happens on a local, personal level. So…while the “Machine” cannot be stopped, we don’t have to participate in its totalizing program. Though we might not be able to completely opt-out, there are many things we can do to maximize for those things that truly matter, and in particular, our relationship to our neighbor and to the natural world. By maximizing for and prioritizing those things that are personal and local, we are much more likely to minimize for the efficient.

Ellul’s study of propaganda is also helpful: in order to begin to mitigate the effects of technology and the cult of efficiency on our lives, we would do well to understand the role that propaganda plays in our society. Although we cannot completely shield ourselves from propaganda, if we learn to recognize it, there is at least some hope that we can mitigate its influence.

Ok…that’s it for today. I hope you enjoyed our latest look at the thought of Jacques Ellul…as always, stay tuned for more…and I will see you soon!

Warmly,

Herman

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