When we think about communication, we often focus on the message. What was said? What did the story mean? But Marshall McLuhan turned this on its head. He argued that it is not the message but the medium that truly shapes us.

Why? Because the medium changes how we perceive, how we interact, and how we think.

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A Simple Example

Take the sentence “I miss you.”

In a text, it feels casual and distant.
In a phone call, it feels direct and urgent.
Face to face, it feels intimate and emotional.

The words are the same. But the medium transforms the experience. The same is true for a simple story about a cat. In print, the cat lives in words. You slow down, imagine its whiskers, and build the scene in your mind. Print teaches patience and imagination. With radio, the cat’s meow reaches your ears. Richer, faster, more stimulating than reading. Print seems less engaging. On video, the cat can move, pounce, and stare right at you. Radio feels flat compared to the flood of images.

Each new medium changes how the story feels. The cat itself does not change. The design does.

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The Same Lesson Across History

This pattern repeats through time.

Oral cultures valued memory and storytelling.
Writing created archives, contracts, and philosophy.
The printing press spread books, teaching patience and private reflection.
Television flooded living rooms with images, shifting culture toward passive watching.
The internet collapsed distance, creating a “global village.”

The content could be similar—a story, a law, a belief. But the medium determined how people processed it, how society organized itself, and what habits of thought were strengthened.

Why It Matters Today

The insight is even clearer now.

Today, the same cat video tells the story in different ways. On TikTok, it’s a burst of novelty in a rapid feed. On YouTube, it’s part of a longer watch session. On TV, it is framed as entertainment. In a book, it requires imagination.

The cat does not matter. The design does.

TikTok doesn’t just show one cat. It shows twenty in sixty seconds. Autoplay ensures one clip flows into the next. You didn’t choose to keep watching—the design nudged you.

Books train us to think deeply. Feeds train us to skim. The danger is not only in what we consume but in how the design rewires our attention.

Different Mediums of Addictive Tech Today

Modern tech platforms are more than neutral channels; they actively teach behaviors.

Social Media Feeds (TikTok, Instagram, X): Infinite scroll removes natural stopping points. Each swipe delivers novelty. Unpredictable rewards keep us hooked.
Streaming Platforms (YouTube, Netflix): Autoplay skips credits and queues the next video. What could be one episode becomes a binge session.
Mobile Games: Loot boxes, daily streaks, and unpredictable wins mimic slot machines. The brain learns to chase the next try.
Notifications (Messaging, Email, News): Pings arrive unpredictably. Each alert feels urgent, hijacking attention and fueling anticipation.
E-commerce Apps: One-click buying and flash sales remove friction. Limited-time offers and countdowns exploit the fear of missing out.

All of these mediums share one truth. They are not neutral. Their design captures attention and encourages repetitive behavior.

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Design as Teacher

Every medium teaches something.

Print encourages stillness and focus.
Radio promotes listening.
Television promotes watching.
Social media teaches impatience and novelty.
Notifications teach constant alertness.
Games teach craving for unpredictability.

Infinite scroll and autoplay are not harmless features. They teach restlessness by urging us to keep moving.

But if design can teach distraction, it can also teach focus.

Design Rules for Focus

Stop the Infinite: End feeds and autoplay. Provide natural breaks in content.
Batch the Noise: Send notifications at set times instead of constantly.
Add Friction: Make distractions harder to access. Add a pause or extra step before scrolling or purchasing.
Smooth the Path: Make focus easy. Use reading modes, quiet screens, and focus timers.

Big Idea

McLuhan was right. The medium really is the message. A cat in a book feels calm. A cat in a feed feels compulsive. The difference is not the cat. It is the medium. We live in a world where design choices—autoplay, endless scroll, notifications, loot boxes—teach our brains new habits. The challenge is to design environments where focus is the path of least resistance and distraction requires effort.