"Digital McLuhan"

1. What are the differences between the pre-literate acoustic world and the alphabetical visual world? How does the media of television become a part of the acoustic world?

The pre-literate world is based on senses- sight and sound, as well as touch, taste, and smell. On the other hand, the alphabetical visual world allows people to express themselves by conveying abstraction through the use of words and ideas, thus making basic communication easier. TV has become a part of the acoustic world because basically all of our human senses are involved. The five basic senses, mainly visual and auditory, enhance the audience's television experience, helping them be more engaged in programming.

2. Why does the alphabet have the segregating tendencies? How exactly does the printing press reverse the segregating tendencies?

The alphabet has segregated tendencies because it was originally a solitary medium, usually readable by no more than one set of eyes at a time. The printing press allowed more than one copy of alphabetical texts to be available to more than one person at a time. This allowed for different interpretations and opinions of texts to be shared simultaneously.

3. How does the alphabetic communication in online communication make cyberspace acoustic? How is the online acoustic world different from the television, radio, or print acoustic world?

Cyberspace becomes acoustic because the alphabetic communication finds its purest alphabetic expression in the acoustic space it creates online. The acoustic world is transcribed into the alphabetic world in cyberspace. The online acoustic world is different from the TV, radio and print acoustic world because there is something to refer to with the online acoustic communication. The online acoustic world is a wider platform and can be shared with the world.

4. Not only do we invent media and media technologies but also we select their uses in different contexts. What are the two selection criteria? According to the selection criteria, please discuss what will happen to our online communication in 20 years.

Our selections are based on two criteria: we want media to extend our communications beyond the biological boundaries of naked seeing & hearing and we want media to recapture elements of that biological communication even as we exceed it in our extensions. In 20 years, online communication will continue to expand and basic reading, writing and communication will most likely be done online.