A dictionary of Marshall McLuhan’s quotations

I think that if we are to have a constitutional order and balance among these new oligarchs [new media], we shall have to study their configurations, their psychodynamics, and their long-term messages. To treat them as humble servants (audiovisual aids) of our established conventions would be as fatal as to use an X-ray unit as a space heater.
“Electronic Revolution: Revolutionary Effects of New Media”, (1959), speech reprinted in Understanding Me: Lectures and Interviews, (2003), p 4
Year: 1959
Chapters: Balance | Media Study
↪ Also at #608
Compiled by William Kuhns
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan