Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Technology
Najmeh Khalili-Mahani, Researcher, Director of Media-Health/Game-Clinic laboratory at Concordia University, Concordia University

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed social media to become increasingly tribal

As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed people online, the result has been increasing divisions on social media. (Shutterstock)

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan suggested that each media-related extension of man comes at the expense of another organ. For example, by increasing reliance on visual media, we lose touch with oral communication.

McLuhan also formulated the laws of media which states that all media aim to extend the body, and when they do so some media become obsolete, some get revived and when a new medium is pushed to its limits, it reverts to an early version.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.