McLuhan and Posthumanism: Extending the techno-animal embrace

Abstract

Background: This article builds on McLuhan's medium theory to address the undertheorized role of animals as mediators in network cultures. Analysis: McLuhan's medium theory aligns with and to some extent anticipates contemporary discussion about posthumanist thought that recognizes that human perception and experience are shaped by and extended through non-human tools and connections. Both digital culture and the endangered status of the natural world now call upon us to elaborate less anthropocentric concepts of mediation to understand our interdependence with the non-human world. Conclusion and implications: Using as illustration various moments of media change, including early coins and the first cat videos, this article argues that the proliferation of animal imagery is significant not only in the affective management of digital practices and investments, but more broadly in the management of cultural and ecological risk.