Medium is the message

While a lot of this reading was hard for me to grasp, a few points did really make sense to me. I really agree with McLuhan’s opinion that, “the effects of technology do not occur at the level of opinions or concepts, but alter sense ratios or patterns of perception steadily and without any resistance.” We are bombarded by so much media today in America that you are absolutely bound to absorb some of it even if you try your hardest not to. What I didn’t necessarily agree with was his claim that, “the serious artist is the only persona able to encounter technology with impunity, just because he is an expert aware of the changes in sense perception." Sure artists tend to be open-minded and reject some surface level conformity, but they are still surrounded by the same media we are. They still see advertisements walking down the street and have to at least hear about current media and technology from other people. McLunhan’s claim seems like a large generalization to me I don’t think that being aware of your sensory perception is enough to allow you to supercede the influence of media and technology.