Communicative Culture

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggested that language influences how the world is interacted with. The strong version of this, that language determines thought, is generally held to be false, though there are various weak effects that have been observed in experiments. Research is ongoing.

Another hypothesis, covered briefly in the following or with several books mentioned below

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/26/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-sean-illing.html

is that the medium of communication shapes the discourse. So not the language, but whether the communication happens in person, over television, or by clay tablet. A claim is that prior American presidents would be unelectable in the Era of Television, where rugged good looks and method acting count for more than bean-counting and deal-making. Or, more recently, shitposting you-know-where. This idea seems reasonable, but may be difficult to test.

calvin-hobbes-tapioca.gif

The authors relate that podcasting or using you-know-what yield different outcomes; others who have used multiple mediums could probably provide more evidence here. IRC certainly I use for too much idle chatter, which may be something of the attention-getting performative art of interactive media, verses the more abstract and reflective nature of writing.

> But he argues that print has these pretty clear biases because of the nature of the medium.

> It’s slower, it’s more deliberative, more demanding. It’s linear, it’s the domain of ideas, of abstract thought. Or at least it tends toward that. I think some of these distinctions that these ecologists make between different mediums maybe a little too neat. But the core point is right. But TV, unlike print, is not a medium that encourages rational thinking.

> It is all about action and imagery. It’s about evoking emotional responses in a more passive way.

Some books to more than scratch the surface here would be:

"Amusing Ourselves to Death". Neil Postman. 1985.

"Mediated". Thomas de Zengotita. 2005.

"Public Opinion". Walter Lippmann. 1922.

The Lippman-Dewey Debate may also be interesting, or is another repeat of Plato's Republic.

One might ponder how gemini shapes communication as compared to other media, and the positives and negatives thereof. At least there are not full-screen pop-up windows that encourage you to call some number for "technical support"...