The Relationship Between Design Packaging and Its Contents
People live in a world of symbols created by themselves, and these symbols largely affected the way humans perceive this world. McLuhan and Fiore stress that children at a young age are exposed to words and other symbols that “predispose the child to think and act automatically in certain ways” (8). This phenomenon transcends the way packaging and its content interact or rather the way this interaction is seen by consumers. The materials used for packaging hint at the value of the contents, as well as its size. The content of the package often dictates what types of materials and shapes should be used. The visuals on the package can also predispose consumers to think about the product in a certain way.
Acoustic Space and the Linear Thought
People have lived in a world that sends diverse visual, audio, and other signals. In its early days, humanity concentrated relied on sound heavily, but universal literacy changed that dependence (McLuhan and Fiore 63). Now, technology bombards people with millions of signals at an electric speed, so people’s focus on linear visual aspects is no longer prevalent. People start paying more attention to sound, which has had a considerable effect on different areas, including design. Artists and designers try to incorporate sound in their works to appeal to more sense and bring more meanings to people. People comprehend the information in a different way, but this non-linear flow of data may challenge some people’s ability and willingness to listen carefully.
Argument One
One of the major arguments articulated in the book is the fact that the media are the extension of people’s bodies. The way electric media can be seen as the extension of the human nervous system is specifically relevant. The Internet is a reflection and extension as information flows from different sources but is often processed in an orderly manner. Likewise, the nervous system has to process diverse impulses, but this occurs according to certain algorithms. The interconnectedness of different bits and sets of information and its influence on the material world (the Internet of Things technologies) is similar and complementary to people’s nervous system. It offers numerous possibilities for artists to convey messages and receive viewers’ feedback immediately (through such software as face identification and so on). The Internet has become of the human nervous system as people use it to learn more about the world around them. It is possible to note that it has become the sixth sense.
Argument Two
The second argument to mention is the one related to people’s opposition to the new paradigm and environments. New electric environments make people exposed to diverse types of new data each second (McLuhan and Fiore 68). The authors note that people still try to examine their perspectives and focus on individual evaluations. Electric environments make people see patterns and concentrate on mass concepts and products. Designers should help people accept the change instead of trying to oppose it. Embracing the collective good will make modern people entailed in the electric circuits happier. Artists should actually show how things connect humans, making them the force that can change the world for the better.
Argument Three
The final argument the authors make is related to the changes people undergo each minute. As mentioned above, people are bombarded with data and messages without stopping, which alters them every second. Modern people can hardly see what they are at a particular moment or would be in several minutes. Artists can use this uncertainty and invite people into a larger discussion. Artists may use technology to show the changes that occur and the ways they work in new environments. Neuroscientific technology can become the media artists use to unveil the essence of the environment that has changed.
Work Cited
McLuhan, Marshall, and Quentin Fiore. The Medium is the Massage. Gingko Press, 2001.