Topic 6 : McLuhan's "Tetrad of Media", Media Application and It's Media Effects

By using McLuhan's "Tetrad of Media" I will apply 4 laws in my media application or tool which is instant messaging.
" What does it (the medium or tehcnology) extend?"
If the car will be the foot, the instant messaging will be our appearance.

"What does it make obsolete?"
The car makes walking obsolete, and the instant messaging makes the social life by meeting all the people unnecessary.

"What is retrieved?"
The sense of adventure and quest is retrieved with the car and the sense of communication and meeting via maya or media is returns with the spread of instant messaging services.

"What does the technology reverse into if it is over extended?"
An over extended automobile culture longs for the pedestrian lifestyle, and the over extended of instant messaging culture makes people feels awkward when meet in social lifestyle.

In my own opinion, instant messaging like Yahoo Messenger or MSN gives many effects either it is bad or good. Since i came to MMU, I'm using YM and MSN constantly than before. Without it, i feel lost without interacting with my friends and discuss many things with them. Considering more complicated extension, instant messaging is like ourselves in one room of media and talk to each other(with friends). It allows us to communicate, view by webcam, exchage files and having conference in the same manner as we meet our friends socially, only faster,easier and with less effort. Only our "hands" talk and the output is given on the screen.

However, the extension of technology like instant messaging amputate the need for interaction with people in social lifestyle, which in turns cause people to be more passive and less meet poeple in "outside world". An amputation will be the loss of interaction skills on outside and be less social with the people. In fact, using too much short form languages in instant messeging effect the usage of language either in writing or speaking. When I'm still in school, I always hear the teachers complaint about pupils using too much short form in their essay writing. Sooner or later, the way we talk also will change when we use the short form words and it is really hard to change it. Medium is influence our lives more than the message. Hence, if we know on how to use it properly, it might change our lifestyle in more proper way.