The Internet is the Medium, not the Message
The Internet is the Medium, not the Message.
Read that. Read it again. Remember it. The medium changes- book–>newspaper–>radio–>TV–>Internet.
Even when navigating new communication paradigms, the message remains the same, only transmitted along a slightly different medium.
So when building your awesome world-changing web application, don’t worry so much about the medium. Focus on the message, which remains very constant, and always will remain constant. I was reading “Scientific Advertising” a book written in 1923, and was struck by how much everything in it can be applied to modern Internet advertising. The similarities are incredible, and perplexing as they are at first, it all makes sense when you realize that even the medium hasn’t changed that much- unless you’re a video site, you’re still basically working with a print medium, not all too different from a newspaper.
You can take lessons about writing newspaper classified ads from the 1920s and apply them, almost verbatim, to writing Google AdWords ads. It’s the same format- three short 45-character lines to sell something, just on a different medium.
Focus on the message 
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If the Internet was a message, then who is Author. lolz. Still nice to know that there r a few sane people in this world.
This is true to a point, but there are certain messages that are inextricably connected to the medium. Any attempt to separate the message from the medium subdues and even distorts the message. For example, a message of love communicated through a passionate kiss is an entirely different message than when communicated through a disembodied email, video, or other medium. And this is true even in marketing messages. Marshall McLuhan was write to an extent that the message can be terribly obscured or expertly portrayed through the medium. Try delivering your client’s message scrawled in excrement on a billboard and tell me the medium doesn’t matter.
This is true to a point, but there are certain messages that are inextricably connected to the medium. Any attempt to separate the message from the medium subdues and even distorts the message. For example, a message of love communicated through a passionate kiss is an entirely different message than when communicated through a disembodied email, video, or other medium. And this is true even in marketing messages. Marshall McLuhan was write to an extent that the message can be terribly obscured or expertly portrayed through the medium. Try delivering your client’s message scrawled in excrement on a billboard and tell me the medium doesn’t matter.
I completely agree with you. Too often we get caught up in the newness of technology that we forget that the really purpose of it is to quickly move information. Using tactics from other mediums is definitely worth the time to study it out and learn because I can totally see how it would help you more effectively move information.
If Internet is the message then we, the internet users are the authors
What I understand that Internet will be the medium and mobile will be the next boom medium for advertiser.
not many major player from the advertisement industry like it
here in Malaysia, the tradition is changing to the internet ->
Great message, and it’s very true…people seem to get caught up in the hype and templates but never truly focus on the end user or the message/content
Agreed. Get your head out of the code, and look at what the app. is supposed to be doing for you; its goal. Also, given that you can write anything in an ad, how much better to study effective copywriting, and get more sales from your text?
Thank you for this message. I didn´t think about that but now I understand, that this is really the truth.
Yes I do agree with this. Can you please explain the influence of Internet on Children?
Yes i do agree with you too. We should use our technologies after a certain period of time.
I think there are some differences. Back in the day, or in other mediums, you are targetting normally to a much more general audience. With specifics in terms of search and geography, there are a lot of advtanges to modern advertising that allows some message flexibllity.
I never think about this.But you makes me feel this.I must agree with you.
I may have to pick Scientific Advertising up … if I can get my hands on a copy. This is the type of thing that fascinates me … human nature changes very slowly. I read an interview with the guy from Woolworth, credited with inventing modern advertising, who said “Half the money I spent on advertising is wasted - if I only knew which half.” That part has changed with the feedback that comes through the internet … but were that available a century ago, nothing would have changed from the newspaper to the net.
Some people forget this from time to time, they spend hours online, but with no real content. Just doing some things just for beeing online. This is really silly…
If the Internet is a message, author is Internet’s Headmaster
I agree with you here. I think people shouldn’t worry so much about ‘mastering the medium’ as they should about ‘mastering the message’. Like you said, some people feel they must know the web inside and out. Well one day things will change and those people will be stuck trying to master another medium because that’s where they spent all their time.
Good article.
You see the same thing with tech gear. People get so wrapped up in how cool their open source software is that they don’t realize they are wasting much more time keeping the crap running. Keep your focus on your goal - that’s the recipe for success.
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How could “Internet” be a message?
You are right. A person can build the fanciest website with all the blinking widgets and bright lights and what ever they think will catch your eye but if they don’t follow the time honored method of sales. They will never be successful. Fred
Nicely said. It is true that The medium has changed from book to internet. It is a process of development and the medium has changed. Rest of the thing like motive, aim etc. are same.
Rightly said that some of the media working todays world are similar to the media done on years before. I will agree with your words but the type of media used before can be reachable only certain distance. Now on internet we shall able to see the changes.
Then what can we call as a message. ???
obviously the internet is the message. and the user of the internet get this message the message from the internet.
This is such a great point. Amid all the brainpower behind some ground-breaking application, the basic fundamentals still remain the same - is the correct message being conveyed?
Very interesting and terrible too. You got to have nice experience. Isn’t it. You are right that internet is only the medium but not the mode. Through internet we get the messages to read and work upon. One can built a strong website with these gadgets.
Internet is all over the planet !
post it! yayyyy
post what?
The art of persuasion remained the same for hundreds of years, language changed a little, and media a lot.
It is interesting how the more things change the more they stay the same. Many marketing books are timeless and can apply across many mediums.
I totally agree with you. The internet is the medium that we all can use to get the message (whatever that may be) across! Great short and sweet article!
how did you feel when u first read this stuff
Well, the net is still pretty text-heavy, so I’m not surprised that the advice cited still works. But the larger McLuhan point still holds, the problem is that the net can be any medium it chooses (sometimes simultaneously). I need to go back and re-read him.
I think you bring up a good point…the medium is ever changing.
If the Internet is a message, author is a post man lol
Yes i do agree with you too. I understand
In a way, Internet makes it easier to pass a message, which in turn makes them more popular.
Thanks to that, we have more and more messages, so Internet kinda multiplies them…
Couln’t agree more. Good to be reminded of this again. Keep up the good work.
I disagree… the medium plays a HUGE role on the message. How it is interpreted, discussed, felt…
The internet is vitally attached to its message, because it is empowering the common man. It is helping small groups of people organize all over the world, thousands of miles away! sure these messages existed pre-internet, but because of the medium these messages can thrive.
i’m also agree with it
I agree with your thoughts. This is true. The Internet is the Medium, Not the message. medium starts from Books, Newspapers, Radios, TVs and now great Internet. Internet via information goes to people past in these days.
very nice website with usefull resources, i love it.
recommended to always visiting.
I agree if Internet is the message then we, the internet users are the authors….
Technology today are changing because of us.
well but the message has to be adapted to the fact people like infotainment 2day and can hardly differ it from informations (news). today everything has to be fun and so on… that’s definetly different from earlier times…
Indeed, focusing on the message is key to good communication. However, one has to master the technology in order to be able to focus on the message. do you remember when you learned how to drive a car? You had to focus on each move you made, from changing the gear to pushing down the brake pedal. After you mastered very well the technology, only then you were able to fully focus on the road. At least that happened in my case.
Wow ,Things wrote in 1923 can be applied to mordern internet marketing.that is really amazing.
I agree, it really is essentially the same thing. We all have our little newspapers, we send people out to the “street corners” to see if we can get people to read them. Only difference is less face to face contact. You mentioned the video site, don’t forget that back then they used to show news reels in the movie theaters, so even that is related!
The more things change the more they stay the same!
denver, I do not see somehting amazing in this fact. in 18 century people try to make airplanes and makes them allmost in right way to fly, its like feeling in future.
With phones becoming web friendly like the IPhone it’s essentially like getting the newspaper delivered every day, minus the delivery person of course.
denver, in fact, one of the wisest folks all came before modern times.
Their ideas are timeless classics. Nothing amazing there