The bias of mediation

Utilizing the scholarship of Marshall McLuhan and Walter J. Ong, this work explores the biases and effects of unmediated and mediated communication. Through the analysis, the thesis emerges that unmediated, or in-person, communication fosters social unity, while mediated forms provide connectivity, they potentially thwart the depth of human relations afforded by unmediated communication, creating autonomy. The final section piers into the future of mediation through the philosophical and quasi-religious movement of transhumanism. In all, the analysis takes a philosophical look into the essence of communication by considering its evolution from unmediated to mediated forms and the effect on the self and social relations.