Research Article Open Access

Evolution of Media Culture in the Context of McLuhans Typology: History, Reality, Prospects

Abstract

The article aims to study the theoretical aspects of the communicative system’s development dynamics in the context of H. M. McLuhan’s historical typology. Adopting the theoretical and comparative analysis methods, the author shows that media, or communicative, culture has evolved significantly over the years. On the basis of McLuhan’s cultural typology, the author conducts a thorough analysis of the historical periods reflecting the evolution process of media culture (the pre-writing era, the millennium of phonetic writing, the “Gutenberg Galaxy”, the “Marconi Galaxy”) and provides a theoretical generalization thereof. The article is brought to conclusion with an analysis of the information era that can be defined, taking into consideration the latest priorities, as the “Internet Galaxy”. Information and communication technologies along with the modern media (computer channels, the Web, mobile communications, D-Cinema, television, photography, multimedia, etc.) have created a global media environment, in which various civilizations and cultures co-exist. Moreover, at the turn of Millennium, people live in two worlds at the same time: in the real world and in virtual reality. Cyberspace has become a popular living environment and a new communication medium for the humankind. Thus, the author recapitulates the conceptual foundations of the media systems’ evolution, going from basic means of communication typical of primitive cultures to the global information space where the dialogue and polylogue of cultures and their interaction are thought to be perspective ways of communication between civilizations.

Kirillova NB

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