Marshall McLuhan: You Know Nothing of My Work! by Douglas Coupland

In his uniquely personal voice, Douglas Coupland gives us a portrait of a fellow Canadian who, some might say, defined the Information Age. In fact the title itself is an inside joke, being the lines McLuhan spoke in a cameo appearance in Woody Allen's 1976 film Annie Hall.

The biography begins with a strange anatomical detail as Coupland let's us know from the start that this man was special, "Marshall's brain was fuelled by fresh blood from the heart through not one but two arteries at the base of his skull, a trait in the mammalian world found mostly in cats and rarely in human beings." And though this clearly posited advantages in terms of higher intelligence, Coupland also proposes that on "Planet Marshall" heightened intelligence likely also caused a state of dissociation, placing McLuhan higher on the autistic spectrum.

In many ways McLuhan anticipated the cultural impacts the internet has had on us today; many calling him a prophet, although Coupland assures us this is not the case: "To scan Marshall's books for inklings of what will happen, say, next year, is a poetic or artistic experience--you get a 'sense' of the future rather than a prescription or a prediction." And the man who gave us concepts of "global village" and "the medium is the message" continues to give as we become more able to understand and appreciate what he had to say as an artist, within context of the work (medium) itself, rather than from dry black or white, truth or falsehood.

Coupland's book is short, only 216 pages, but is complex in its brevity. The reason such a complex man is able to be addressed in so short a space is a result of Coupland applying McLuhan's own techniques in presenting his story. Not limited to straight narrative, Coupland intersperses inspired tidbits, such as MapQuest directions and a short "anatomy lesson" from Wikipedia, within the biographical information. As we read we get a sense of "web surfing" rather than following a linear text. Marshall's groundbreaking work, The Medium Is the Massage (originally an error that was left in the first printing) spoke to a more visually sophisticated culture applying graphic design techniques to communicate in addition to the text. This is now the norm for online readers who are aware of typefaces, fonts, page layout and design, from reading or designing their own web pages.

Suitably, however sadly, Coupland brings his story toward its end with a report on his visit to McLuhan's grave site in Toronto where "The Stone, using a computer data font, read: The truth shall make you free."

McLuhan's contribution to modern culture continues to make us aware of ourselves and our communal obligations in a world where "truth in advertising" and "wagging the dog" are game strategies for both sides of any political agenda. McLuhan's epitaph is perhaps a reminder that "truth" is not something that can be defined any more easily than "freedom" and that the secret of knowing is to think for oneself.

Douglas Coupland's message, undoubtedly, is that the medium of the book is changing.

Further reading:
Marchand, Philip Marshall McLuhan: The Medium and the Messenger: A Biography (Toronto: Random House of Canada, 1989)
Gordon, W. Terrence Marshall McLuhan: Escape into Understanding: A Biography (Berkeley: Gingko Press, 1997)

Cory Doctorow's FOR THE WIN and Alex Shakar's THE SAVAGE GIRL

Every now and then, synchronicity strikes and I find myself reading two books that dovetail thematically. Such is the case with For the Win and The Savage Girl. Both novels endeavor to awaken our sensitivities to the out-of-control influences extant in our late stage capitalism.

Doctorow's book is being marketed to young adults and the style and pacing is perfect for his market. Loved the book and the message: Solidarity! but missed a more adult approach to character development. That's where Shakar's book came to the rescue: slower plot development, but we have the opportunity to develop a little insight into the main characters.

Doctorow's book has been published recently and Shakar's in 2001. Both books voice a strong concern for our devolution as a species brought on through our enslavement to consumerism. Doctorow's gamers fight for standards, such as those safeguarded by unions. Shakar talks of a "post-ironic" society where we as consumers no longer exist outside of our purchasing power and constantly must buy in order to self identify.

We are each alone unto our credit rating... "But," Shakar says, "hell is not necessarily other people, no, not necessarily; hell is being surrounded by people who share no solidarity, it's like dying of thirst on the bank of a contaminated river."