As I was delving into the concepts of hot and cold media presented by McLuhan I couldn't help but think of the hit 2008 song "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry. While one really has nothing to do with the other, the song helped me contemplate how the hot and cold theory is possibly a misnomer. As MissDeeZee pointed out, McLuhan's theory "...is not a binary. It is not a dichotomy" (MissDeeZee). I would agree with her. The terms hot and cold suggest that media can be categorized into two opposing sides; however, media exists on McLuhan's continuum instead within his binary.
A question that McLuhan's spectrum forces me to raise this week, in light of the readings on hypertexts and electronic editions that we've been doing, is would the incorporation of hypertext and electronic editions push reading towards being hotter or colder?
I think that blogger realblueivy makes a good point when she says, "Although many teachers are resistant to the idea of e-readers in class or online textbooks, I believe that they may have the ability to change our entire learning process" (realblueivy). By using hypertext, I would argue that reading becomes more immersive (like movies) and therefore is hotter; but, at the same time it requires more active participation (like traditional reading) so it is cooler in that aspect.
The increasing use of hypertext and e-readers may call for an overhaul of McLuhan's hot and cold theory and how we explain it or use it as everything blurs together due to the mesh of traditional literary texts with new-age media and digital technology.
Works Cited:
Hot N Cold. Perf. Katy Perry. YouTube. N.p., 13. Oct. 2008 Web 19 Sept. 2014
MissDeeZee93. "Untitled." Cyber Rhetoric - Writ 502. N.P., 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Sept. 2014
realblueivy. "Reading Response 3." realblueivy. N.p., 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Sept. 2014
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