MCLUHANS'S LAWS OF MEDIA 2-3

(The car obsolesced the horse and buggy)

Law 2: OBSOLESCE

2. What pre-existing technology, method, system, or medium does this medium obsolesce? What older technology does the new medium replace? What does it render unnecessary? What procedures does it short-circuit or bypass? What happens to the old medium that is rendered obsolescent? Does it disappear entirely, become and art object, or find a new niche?

(Word processing retrieves the scroll and manuscript as open)

Law 3: RETRIEVE

3. What technology, method, system or medium that was previously obsolesced or abandoned does this medium retrieve? What archaic elements are made relevant again? What previously marginalized or repressed ideas, practices or artifacts are brought to the fore? What aspects of the prehistoric, ancient, medieval or early modern world are revived?

(Text reverses into oral communication through word recognition and speech synthesis like Siri)

Law 4: REVERSE

4. When fully utilized or pushed to its extreme, what will the medium reverse into? What effects will the medium create that are opposite to what was originally intended? What are the contradictions inherent in the technology? What is the ecological impact?

(Questions originated by Lance Strate)