The sub-heading of Chapter 20 of Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan is unfortunately similar to the Church of Scotland’s most recent project to engage with new forms of church.

that week someone who i didn’t really know very well asked to meet me for coffee to chat. they knew nothing of the experience i was having. but one of the things they said has stuck with me since -

you don’t fit and that’s your gift

it reminds me of a marshall macluhan quote – the role of the artist is to create an anti-environment as a means of perception and adjustment.

(from the gift of not fitting in by jonny baker, italics mine)

Our conventional response to all media, namely that it is how they are used that counts, is the numb stance of the technological idiot. For the ‘content’ of a medium is like the juicy piece of meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind.”

(McLuhan, p.207 New Media Reader)

I picked this quote up from a Mars Hill podcast (Shane Hipps on The Spirituality of the Cellphone). I’ve heard the phrase “medium is the message” several times before, but this is the first time I think I’ve had time to really think about it.

In listening to this I also realised that I’m actually a technological neanderthal – I can discuss, debate and talk about the the thoughts that are in my head and develop them (like within an oral tradition) far better than I can manage to write down these thoughts or little bits of knowledge.. although i think that’s the way I’d like to keep it!