Dr. Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) is well-known in the fields of marketing and communications. He is most famous for his concept of “Global Village” and his theory that “the medium is the message”. Both concepts were described in detail in Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964) and The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man (1962). As well, his prediction of the World Wide Web was highly accurate, appearing nearly 30 years before the invention of the internet.

McLuhan became a sensation in the popular press and among academics from many different disciplines. His ideas and methods were and still are widely debated. Unfortunately, he died before he could see the personal computers become a common commodity in North American homes. Nor did he live to see the emergence of the World Wide Web, which was eventually invented by Tim Bernier-Lee in 1989.

In this featured article we explore Marshall McLuhan’s definition of Global Village, examine its relevancy to the World Wide Web, and discuss its limitations in the SEO world.

Definition of Global Village:

Marshall McLuhan was the first to popularize the term “global village” and to consider its effects on our globalizing society. His ideas are thought to be revolutionary and have fundamentally changed how we view the media, technology, and communication.

“Global Village” was used by McLuhan to highlight his belief that the media was rapidly integrating disconnected ‘villages’ around the globe. Events in one part of the world could be experienced from other parts in real time. He also argued that the electronic media were beginning to put us back in touch with the tribal emotions, something that print had divorced us from.