On Publishing (McLuhan)

In Understanding Me, Marshall McLuhan discusses how advancements in technology influence the way readers/writers internalize the written word as both observers and participants in ever-evolving social constructs.  Even though McLuhan delivered his lecture, The Future of the Book, in 1972, his questions continue to resonate in a time when the Web is giving a new function to publication.

Even today, there is a certain elitism associated with becoming published.  There’s a validation that comes with an editor’s approval:  being published means a writer’s work is worthy by (someone’s) standards, though how we choose to measure that worth is subjective.  We read news articles with the understanding that someone has ascertained the facts.  We read books to gain insights on ideas that someone has decided were worth sharing.  And though we may write to explore our own, writing to publish influences our approach.  When we read something in print form, we know that work has met someone’s stamp of approval. 

McLuhan discusses how xeroxing has moved personal writing to a public domain, empowering readers by making them publishers.  With consideration to continued advancement, the Web has provided writers with the same opportunity.  Anyone with the ability to create a Web page or blog has the power to post and be heard–without the approval of a publisher. 

As our concept of literary property changes and more people own the liberty to publish their ideas, how does this affect the way we perceive literary work?  (What is literary work?)  If we write for introspection, will the freedom to publish also perpetuate freedom in our writing that would otherwise be stifiled by the idea of a more critical audience?