KhizooologyAmusing Ourselves to Death
The format helps shape the message.
Big Idea
Postman argues that the form of a medium influences public discourse, with television favoring entertainment over sustained explanation.
Media form
How information is presented affects what counts as a convincing message.
Public performance
Political communication can become an exercise in attracting attention.
Context
Fragments of news can supply information without a usable account of its significance.
Education
Entertainment conventions can reshape expectations of teaching and learning.
Historical scope
This is a television-era critique; applying it to later technologies requires fresh analysis.
Notooo Take
Ask what a medium makes easy to express and what it makes difficult.
One Thing to Keep
The format helps shape the message.