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The Print Age

Chapter 24
The Print Age (page 316)
I never really thought of books as a way to isolate, and be alienated from others and from the “immediacy of your surroundings” (317). I always thought of reading as something that intelligent people did, to better themselves and gain more knowledge. I am not saying the latter is false, but I am seeing portable books in a whole new light. McLuhan describes the print revolution as the, “forerunner of the industrial revolution” (316). I agree that once we were able to produce and reproduce mass quantities of the same things, nationwide globalization began. He talks more about globalization in the digital age, but this is where it all started. Something that has the potential to making a nation feel unified, was actually stunting our growth and making us feel even more separate and alone (316). Often times when I am sitting in my room studying for a test, or doing reading for a class, I feel very isolated and alone. I know it is something I have to do in order to succeed in my classes, but often times I dread reading because of the isolation it brings. I often enjoy what I am reading, and learn a lot from doing so, but at the end of the day I feel as if I have been holed up in a cave. This can lead to feeling very depressed and lethargic. Study groups are a good way of getting out of that alienation. Unfortunately I have ADD so I often have to control the environment that I study in, in order to retain what I am reading.

1 comment:

  1. Reading is not a social activity, it is something that you usually do alone. I like to be alone when I read and I like for it to be quiet so th at I can concentrate. I think McLuhan meant that when that when the print age started people didn't need to talk to one another as much to get information;They could sit and read a letter and newspaper alone and not have to talk to anyone.

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