Cool Mediums and Hot Messages: Understanding Marshall McLuhan
Vol. III, No. 94 - A framework to understanding government communications
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Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian professor who changed how we think about communication in the modern world. Writing primarily in the 1960s, McLuhan coined the famous phrase "the medium is the message" and developed theories about how different types of media shape human behavior and social structures. His insights about television, radio, and print media seemed almost prophetic when the internet age arrived decades later. McLuhan fundamentally understood that the technology we use to communicate changes not just how we share information, but how we think about and process that information entirely; there were few men who understood the future better than McLuhan.
And when we look at McLuhan’s work and his ideas about media, communications and culture, we are confronted with a man that would have solid advice for local government officials struggling to communicate effectively in our social media world.
Hot Media and Cool Media
His theory of “hot media” and “cool media” provides a roadmap for understanding why traditional government communication often fails online and how public officials can adapt their approach to serve citizens better.
McLuhan understood that “hot media” is able to deliver complete information requiring little participation from its audiences, while cool media provide incomplete information that demands active engagement to fill in the gaps. This distinction creates a fundamental challenge for local government, which has specific legal and ethical responsibilities that don't align naturally with how social media platforms operate.
Government officials face unique communication responsibilities that many private organizations don't have. They must provide transparent access to public information, ensure equal treatment of all citizens, maintain accurate records for legal compliance, and create opportunities for meaningful public input on decisions that affect everyone's daily lives. These responsibilities developed long before anyone imagined social media, and they create tension with how these social media networks actually function.
Social media platforms might appears as hot media outlets delivering information through high-definition screens and sophisticated algorithms, but the messages flowing through them often work as cool media requiring users to interpret incomplete information. This combination creates problems for government communication because public officials often have a desure to provide complete, accurate information while social media rewards dramatic, emotional content that generates quick reactions.
Different Methods…Different Purposes
McLuhan would likely advise local government to recognize that different types of communication serve different purposes and require different approaches. Social media excels at broadcasting urgent information and creating emotional connections, but it struggles with the kind of detailed, nuanced communication that complex governance issues require. Smart government officials would use social media strategically while creating other channels for more substantial dialogue.
For routine announcements and emergency communications, social media works well because it reaches people quickly where they already spend time. A tweet about road closures or a Facebook post about utility service interruptions serves the hot media function of delivering complete information efficiently. Citizens don't need to interpret or analyze these messages—they just need to receive the messages and act on them.
However, when dealing with controversial issues like zoning changes, budget decisions, or development proposals, McLuhan would warn that social media's cool message structure encourages misunderstanding rather than productive dialouge. Citizens receive incomplete information and fill in the gaps with their existing assumptions and emotions rather than careful analysis of the actual issues involved. This creates the theatrical dynamics that corrupt productive civic dialogue.
Social Media is No Cure All
McLuhan would advise government officials to resist the temptation to use the character limited tweet or short Facebook posts for complex policy communication. Instead of trying to explain nuanced decisions in these methods, officials should use social media to direct citizens to more appropriate forums where complete information can be shared and genuine dialogue can occur. A social media post might announce a public hearing about a controversial issue, but the actual discussion should happen in person with full and complete information avaiable to all parties.
The key insight is that government officials should match their communication method to their purpose. Social media works for announcements, emergency updates, and creating awareness about opportunities for civic engagement. It doesn't work for explaining complex trade-offs, soliciting thoughtful input on difficult decisions, or building the kind of trust that democratic governance requires.
Events like the “Ask a Council Member” events held quarterly, meet that demand quite nicely. The open, informal discussions where residents and elected officials interact with each other with openness and candor is quickly becoming the forum of choice where issues are discussed and feedback is received.
Reaching People Where They Are. Both online and in person.
McLuhan would also emphasize the importance of understanding how different audiences consume information. Younger residents might rely heavily on social media, while older citizens prefer email newsletters or printed materials. Effective government communication requires what experts call a multi-channel approach that reaches people through their preferred information sources rather than forcing everyone to adapt to whatever method government finds most convenient.
This doesn't mean avoiding social media entirely. Instead, it means using each platform strategically for what it does best. Instagram might work well for sharing photos of community events or infrastructure improvements. Twitter could provide quick updates about meetings, deadlines, or service disruptions. Facebook might host live streams of public meetings for citizens who cannot attend in person.
However, McLuhan would insist that government officials remember their fundamental responsibility to create genuine opportunities for citizen participation in democratic governance. This requires cooler media formats that encourage thoughtful engagement rather than quick emotional reactions. Town halls, neighborhood meetings, online forums with moderation, and structured feedback processes serve this function better than social media platforms designed for viral content.
Seek To Inform, Not Entertain
The most important advice McLuhan would offer is to remain conscious of how the medium shapes the message. When government officials communicate through platforms designed for entertainment and emotional manipulation, their messages inevitably become more theatrical and less substantive. This corruption of democratic dialogue serves no one's long-term interests, including the officials who might gain short-term political advantages from viral posts or social media controversies.
Government communication should aim to inform rather than persuade, to educate rather than manipulate, and to create opportunities for meaningful civic engagement rather than passive consumption of official messages. Social media can support these goals when used strategically, but it cannot replace the cooler communication formats that democratic governance requires. McLuhan would remind public officials that their primary obligation is not to citizens as social media users, but to citizens as critical participants in governance.
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