McLuhan

In the second video posted on the website about McLuhan, it opens with his quote "Societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication." I found this to be 100% true and we even discussed it in class on occasion. McLuhan states that people are more affected by the delivery of a message by the media moreso than what the medium is actually trying to say. For example, when the presidential election was in full swing, many news channels were putting up these fancy graphics that are interactive with the TV personality that is discussing them. The information can sometimes be lost in the grand appearance of the graphics, sometimes cluttered and over-the-top.

It's not just that particular instance that is a good example, there are many more. Commercials are an excellent example of the validity of his statement. Everyone can agree that at one point or another in their life they have had a commercial "get stuck in their head". The designers of the commercials' objective wasn't necessarily to get you to formulate a very positive opinion about their product, but just to remember it. The more recognizable a commercial is, the more successful it is. An example for me is that terrible Toyota commercial with the song "Saved by zero" with all the Toyota racing on and off the screen. I don't know much more about Toyotas but I certainly can't forget that commercial, regardless of how obnoxious it is.

Research

QUESTION: Has the media negatively or positively affected your view on Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin?

METHOD: I would ask an even number of self proclaimed Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and "undecided" voters. That's one of the most important factors to avoid a bias response by asking too many Democrats (who will likely say they see her in a more negative light now) and too many Republicans (who will likely claim she is unfairly put in a negative light or that she is actually being put in a positive light). Independents will likely give a more objective response, but the undecided voters are the real wild card. Their responses are totally unpredictable and can't be predicted too effectively.

HYPOTHESIS: More people will have a more negative view on Sarah Palin because of the media's potrayal of Palin.