Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 

I want you to read the PDF and answer the 3 questions below  

nk about what he is arguing and how it relates to today. Now he was talking about ideas from the 1970's so you will see how forward thinking he was. 



What you should take away from his lecture -

There are two main theories to Communication 

1 . Transportation Theory - How Information Moves through Society 

2. Transformation Theory - How Information Changes Society

THOUGHT Challenge! Now apply this to Photography - How does the photograph move through society versus how does it change society? What is more important?



Visual Culture is for an  Individual Culture / Phonetic Culture is an Tribal  Culture



THOUGHT Challenge! Are photographs phonetic or are they visual? They actually could be either as visual language means there are agreed upon signs that do not change as they travel and phonetic language is that the signs are always changing as the communication travels.  If it is clear to society what the photograph means then it is phonetic or it is it visual. 



Individuality is found in visual language  and the phonetic language is Tribal Mentality. 

THOUGHT Challenge - Do photographs operate for the individual or  for the tribe? Is the job of a photograph to role play the emotions of the individual to others or is it the job of a photograph to carry a specific task to the tribe?

The argument is that the medium is the message and this mean that the 

AFFECTS of the PHOTOGRAPH are what DEFINES it's POWER 

NOT the physical PHOTOGRAPH 

THE PHOTOGRAPH or the VIDEO is NOT THE MEDIUM 

IT IS THE MESSAGE

THOUGHT CHALLENGE - If the photograph - the actual image - is irrelevant to the power of the message what is it's purpose?

McLuhan argues that it's ONLY PUPOSE IS THE ENVIRONMENT it CREATES

THOUGHT QUESTION - THEN if this is TRUE what ENVIRONMENT has and is the photograph and the Digital Image Creating and HOW is it CHANGING the WORLD?



PLEASE NOW ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION IN A ONE PAGE RESPONSE - 

WHAT ARE THE PHOTOGRAPH'S AFFECT on SOCIETY?

IS IT DESTROYING INDIVIDUALITY OR TRIBALISM and VICE VERSA? IF  it is destroying TRIBALISM then WHY are AMERICAN POLITICS BECOMING TRIBAL or maybe we are becoming more Individual (it is up to you)?

IS THE DIGITAL IMAGE actually becoming instead of a VISUAL LANGUAGE a PHONETIC LANGUAGE where there are no absolutes or truths... but ONLY FEELINGS and as it travels it changes based on the tribe's need?