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We have discussed in the previous unit that the globalised media environment
and unlimited avenues for information generation and dissemination have led to
most people falling under the category of media audiences and being influenced
by it. We begin our interaction with media at a very early age and the relationship
strengthens as years go by. New media and messages make an inroad into our
everyday existence and leave an imprint on our minds.
McLuhan’s famous adage, ‘Medium is the message’ clearly emphasised the role
of the medium in comprehending the message. We come across various media
sending forth messages – some complimentary and some contradictory. In such
a scenario, it is easy for us to get into the habit of imbibing the messages without
comprehending them. We face, what is commonly termed as ‘Information
overload’.
The information we receive through the vast network of disseminating media;
appears to be simple, and easy to understand. It caters to all the areas of interest,
entertainment, news, current affairs etc. It comes to us in our spoken language
that we recognise both linguistically and cognitively. The reality, however, is
that the media uses a complex audio-visual ‘language’ which has its own grammar.
The language of word, pictures, moving pictures and music can be used to express
many-layered concepts and ideas about the world. It can also be used to create
false ideas and notions as everything may not be obvious at first. The images fly
by the mind’s eye and stay on in the deep recesses of our mind. If we wish to be
able to navigate our lives through this multi-media culture, we need to be fluent
in ‘reading’ and ‘writing’ the language of images and sounds just as we have
always been able to ‘read’ and ‘write’ the printed language.
