In my previous journal entry, I discussed in the 2nd half about hot and cold media. I mainly got my context about this subject from the readings in Canvas, which gave good descriptions what made a medium hot or cold. Watching the attached video, I feel that I have a better understanding of hot and cold media. However, an interesting point mentioned within the video is that, while this theory of media is still very useful and used to this day, as stated in the video, the work within McLuhan’s work’s feels a bit dated and can leave some of the material within a bit lacking.
A prime example with how dated the reading material may seem involves the constant evolution of media, one of which includes a media that I will be presenting, that being AI, which has only been making rounds within entertainment in the late 2010s, a whole 50 to 60 years since McLuhan published “Understanding Media”. Needless to say, he didn’t exactly have to foresight to discuss how media like the internet, AI, and much more. However, as presented in the video, if we look at whether a media is hot or cold as a spectrum rather then individuals, AI, specifically for the purpose of this journal entry Chatgpt, would be leaning more towards the colder side of media with it’s low definition and high participation from the user.
A quote that is mentioned within the video from the readings is that “Hot excludes, while Cold includes”, which works well with what we as a collective decided on what’s hot and cold media. Books and Movies are exclusive and the Internet and television are inclusive. Since AI would be considered cold media, it would be inclusive. However, similar to what I brought up in my previous post, AI is not very well perceived, at least at the time of me writing this. In the realm of entertainment, AI has been criticized for being too unpleasant to look at and replacing work that could be done better by people instead. I can’t help but wonder if this loathsome behavior towards AI is something that is caused by how ‘inclusive’ it is trying to be with the viewer. IN a way, that’s how all cold media could feel, depending on the viewer. The question I have now, regarding AI specifically, is can it be worked on or fixed to be looked at more positive?
Throughout the discussion of what’s hot media and what’s cold within the video, an interesting point that was brought up to counter this whole theory is that instead of the media, it is the viewers that are hot and cold, or rather that’s the reaction they get from engaging with the media. To a degree this makes sense, and when applying the same logic towards AI, the media would most likely have the audience still cold. However, similar to what I previously stated, with how hated AI is seen in today's media, nobody seems to really watch it or participate with it.
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