[Ads-l] Update: The medium is the message (Marshall McLuhan, May 5, 1958)

Fri Sep 2 03:09:34 UTC 2022

Excellent! Thanks, Pete. The first link points to an article that
provides a solid citation dated May 26-28, 1958.

Unfortunately, the second link points to the same article in the same
conference. The metadata specifying the year 1957 is defective.

I will update the QI article and acknowledge your help.
Garson O’Toole

On Thu, Sep 1, 2022 at 10:22 PM Pete Morris <mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
>
> Another cite, a few days later.  Article, or maybe a transcript of a
> speech by
> Marshall McLuhan  contains two instances.
> Proceedings of the conference on Educational Telecvision May 26-28 1958
>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Circular/KVuM_5SRES8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22the+medium+is+the+message%22&pg=PP26&printsec=frontcover
>
> The 18th Century considered it had made quite a discovery when Buffon
> proclaimed
> that "the style is the man."  We should long ago have decided that the
> medium is the message.
> ...
> Let us grant for the moment that the medium is the message.
>
> Maybe the Buffon quote should be included as a precursor.
>
>
> And another cite, possibly 1957, usual caveats apply.
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Circular/KVuM_5SRES8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22the+medium+is+the+message%22&pg=PP26&printsec=frontcover
>
>
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Date 01/09/2022 17:42:10
> Subject Re: Update: The medium is the message (Marshall McLuhan, May 5,
> 1958)
>
> >Thanks for posting this, Garson, this is a wonderful discovery.
> >
> >Fred Shapiro
> >
> >
> >________________________________
> >From: ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
> >Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2022 8:23 AM
> >To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at listserv.uga.edu>
> >Cc: Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> >Subject: Update: The medium is the message (Marshall McLuhan, May 5, 1958)
> >
> >Andrew McLuhan, the grandson of Marshall McLuhan, notified me of a new
> >1958 citation for the saying in the subject line.  To verify the
> >citation I contacted the University of British Columbia, Rare Books &
> >Special Collections. Librarians kindly sent me the pertinent scans.
> >
> >Marshall McLuhan’s 1958 speech contained two versions of the saying.
> >The first instance used the plural words “media” and “messages”:
> >
> >[ref] 1958, Radio in the Future of Canada: A National Conference, Held
> >in Vancouver, Canada on May 5 to 9, 1958, Article: Introduction of
> >Professor Marshall McLuhan, Start Page 4, Quote Page 4 and 6,
> >Sponsored by: British Columbia Association of Broadcasters and the
> >University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
> >(Verified with scans from University of British Columbia Library, Rare
> >Books & Special Collections) [/ref]
> >
> >[Begin excerpt from page 4]
> >The media are the messages, they are not conveyor belts of messages.
> >In the long run it is radio that is the message, and not what a radio
> >program content happens to be at any given day, or year. In the long
> >run, it is photography that is the meaning and the message, not the
> >picture of somebody or something.
> >[End excerpt from page 4]
> >
> >The second instance of the saying in McLuhan’s’ speech matched the
> >popular version of the expression:
> >
> >[Begin excerpt from page 6]
> >Print, by permitting people to read at high speed and, above all, to
> >read alone and silently, developed a totally new set of mental
> >operations. What I mentioned earlier becomes very relevant here: the
> >medium is the message. The medium of print is the message, more than
> >any individual writer could say.
> >[End excerpt from page 6]
> >
> >Fred Shapiro’s entry on this topic in “The New Yale Book of
> >Quotations” presented an excellent 1959 citation. Fred also pointed to
> >a precursor expression: “The method is the message”. I found some new
> >early citations for this precursor.
> >
> >The updated version of the Quote Investigator article is available now:
> >https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fquoteinvestigator.com%2F2022%2F08%2F11%2Fmedium-message%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40yale.edu%7C2f28c6e847754c9d38f808da8b4ba5e2%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637975454266485291%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rmrFMG8ShauWlB4JTsVT8JAgdRSLGXxPEPYZ9xbdeJc%3D&reserved=0
> >
> >Feedback welcome
> >Garson O’Toole
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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