Marshall McLuhan on tribalization and the loss of identity in the global village

In 1964, Canadian media philosopher Marshall McLuhan provided the first critical analysis of the impact modern communication was having on our species in his book ‘Understanding Media.’ Electric communication, as he called it, was such a fast emerging technology that our behavioural adaptations to stimulus could not cope with the rapid new connections being made across the globe. In this interview from 40 years ago, McLuhan argues that the disruptive force of electric communication had stripped us of our traditional identities, leaving us confused and susceptible to manipulation by forces beyond our control. He calls the global village a place of ‘arduous interfaces and very abrasive situations.’ New forms of tribalization would emerge, leaving us prone to hostile encounters not limited by geographic or social boundaries. Today, with automated systems filtering our social media feeds, the narratives of our reality are manufactured by machines rather than community and tactile media. We