Language in Society

Neil Postman reveals a claim through his philosophy on technology in “The Medium is the Metaphor” of Amusing Ourselves to Death. He feels that there exists a direct correlation between languages and “the content of our culture” in which the different types of languages used are instruments for our desire to express ourselves (Postman 15). Postman defines language as any form of communication, such as speech and visual aid. He effectively argues his claim by showing how “Nature does not speak. Neither do our minds or our bodies or, more to the point of this book, our bodies politic” (Postman 15).  I agree very much with the author’s claim because I feel that the way people choose to express their thoughts and ideas have a great effect on the rest of society around them. An example of this would be the group of people who started to routinely participate in social media. Because of this, other people have discovered the amusement of social media. Now, it is one of the most popular languages, or forms of communication, in the world. In addition to this claim, Neil Postman introduces another idea that gives society’s means of communication in his present day a bad review.

Throughout the chapter, Neil Postman reveals a smaller claim about the flaws of language, which have influenced society as well. “America’s journalists, i.e., television newscasters, have not missed the point. Most spend more time with their hairdryers than with their scripts, with the result that they comprise the most glamorous group of people this side of Las Vegas” (Postman 4). The author makes a good point here and shows his society’s thoughts of how the image of someone is more important than the message delivered. He goes on to give many more examples of this, including business strategies and presidential elections. I agree with him that the image is an effective means of language if used properly but can be harmful to society if not used correctly.

Neil Postman’s argument claims that in 1984, the television medium was the primary influence on “the formation of the culture’s intellectual and social preoccupations” (Postman 9). Although his point was valid in his day, I feel that social media has surpassed television in the culture’s primary medium of communication today. Networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram provide ways to express people’s thoughts in a way that television cannot. The reason for this is that social networks are more personalized, meaning that people can choose what they want to browse. Social media is also very popular due to the fact that many people own smart phones, which means that people can access these networks at any time. Unlike television, social media serves as a two-way transmitter, meaning that someone can read as well as provide information to an infinite number of people.

I personally enjoyed reading this article because I feel it is important to analyze how cultures are the way they are. Language is a way to express the nature of something and offers a huge amount of mediums of communication.