the medium is the message

the medium is the message

The mode through which a message is transmitted influences how the message is received. The phrase was coined by 20th-century philosopher Marshall McLuhan. In studying this painting, we can't ignore the style that the artist chose. The medium is the message.
See also: medium, message
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • relay
  • relay (something) to (one)
  • relay to
  • write into
  • write into (something or some place)
  • leave word for
  • leave word for (one)
  • flame war
  • abandon hope, all ye who enter here
  • all hope abandon, ye who enter here
References in periodicals archive
Marshall McLuhen said, "The medium is the message (1)." I say the medium is quite cheap and a source of great profits if you know how to use it.
Newsprint: declining high technology
Scheuer's book is the more thought-provoking of the two and harkens back to Marshall McLuhan's famous aphorism, "the medium is the message."
The Sound Bite Society: Television and the American Mind
Their proliferation deludes us, understandably, into thinking media are all-powerful, dusting off sociologist Marshall McLuhan's catchy claim that "the medium is the message." From there, it's a small leap to the erroneous conclusion that communication itself -- that is, the communication process -- has been turned on its head and permanently reconfigured.
Everything's Changed