Mentor Cana: Critique of McLuhan's Technological determinism viewpoint or lack of one thereof

Cana's article critiques McLuhan's theory on technological determinism and the medium is the message. He points out that McLuhan's belief that human society must give in to technology presents many shortcomings in the innovation and social construction of his argument. Cana says that technologies must be created by man therefore there is a control factor that determines the technologies effect on humans. Cana believes that media technologies do not create socioeconomic and political power structures, but that media technologies only reinforce the power of the social structure in which the information is inserted.

Secondly, Cana discusses McLuhan's statement "The Medium is the Message." He asserts that a more appropriate statement would be "The Medium is also the Message" because the medium is providing a wider understanding of the new technology, and its place in the appropriate social structure. Cana believes that the content cannot be independent of the medium and that it is strongly shaped by the medium by which it was intended. McLuhan believed that the medium is an extension of humans' capacities, but content and information processed through the medium must be relevant because without the content the medium is meaningless.

Thirdly, Cana explains McLuhan's theory of hot and cool media is not very helpful. He does not understand how McLuhan can define television as a cool medium (high participation) while radio is a hot medium (low participation). Cana believes this does not make sense and offers the idea that McLuhan may have come to this determination because TV was a new technology at the time. He also believes that McLuhan contradicts himself by saying individuals must engage in TV, but one of his main arguments is that the medium is all that matters not the content.

Cana concludes by offering critiques of McLuhan’s theories. He believes that media cannot have a life of its own. Content and information must be included as part of the medium in order for the medium to have a message. Media technologies do not lack distinctive functions, but these functions are inserted due to socioeconomic and political context that have played a significant role with the technologies.