Circling the Galaxy

[Mike Gange]

 

 

By Mike Gange

I was first introduced to the ideas of Marshall McLuhan when I was an undergrad at the University of New Brunswick. One of my professors, upon learning of my interest in media, suggested I read McLuhan’s “Gutenberg Galaxy.” Truth be told, McLuhan’s ideas were way over my head. None-the-less, I plodded through the book, determined to say I did it, and to not disappoint my prof. It has had a lasting impression on my own thinking about mass media.

Of course, McLuhan was alive then and every so often, would be on TV or quoted in some article. Seeing him on TV made me realize how profound he was in person, as well as in print. His mind seemed to be going a mile a minute. I laughed right out loud at McLuhan’s tiny cameo appearance in Woody Allen’s film “Annie Hall.”

McLuhan was born a hundred years ago. “Gutenberg Galaxy” was written fifty years ago. This summer University of Toronto Press (utppublishing.com) is re-releasing “Gutenberg Galaxy.” It is an updated version, with several essays from leading scholars, who discuss his impact on the 21^st Century.

McLuhan gave us terms such as “global village” which, given the power of the Internet, seems to be even more applicable today. For instance, a PhD student from Turkey contacted me the other day. And my thesis about sports journalism – truly of interest to a tiny group of academics in an area of research that is already thinly sliced – drew several responses from academics around the world.

Closing the circle, I am still involved in media at UNB, providing play-by-play on hockey games that are available all over the world, via the Internet or if you have the technology, via your telephone. I am looking forward to re-reading “Gutenberg Galaxy.” Seems this galaxy might be as small as a village.