Marshall McLuhan’s Media Theory and Rhetoric

This article reviews Marshall McLuhan’s media theory on the rhetorical perspective. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man was published in 1964, so this year is the 60th anniversary of the book. Over the past several decades, McLuhan’s media theory has influenced media and communication research in the world. His media theory: Media is the Extension of Man, the Media is the Message, and Hot, Cool media. These concepts, definitions, and propositions of media have inspired researchers of communications in the academic community dominated by the SMCRE paradigm. Under the intellectual atmosphere of the administrative research paradigm, McLuhan’s idea about media was a new, creative thought at the same time provocative. This paper examines the rhetorical meaning of McLuhan’s major media propositions.