Marshall McLuhan

Transformation and Innovation

May 30, 2019June 12, 2019 Cameron D. Norman 852 Views aesthetics, AI, change, Charles and Ray Eames, design, developmental design, developmental evaluation, Facebook, innovation ecosystem, Instagram, Jaron Lanier, Living History, Marshall McLuhan

Innovation can involve small adjustments or great transformations. Social media provides a case study for understanding why ongoing monitoring and

complexity science & technology social systems

Our Paradoxical Age

September 19, 2016September 19, 2016 Cameron D. Norman 1232 Views Carl Jung, climate change, Donald Trump, environmental health, journalism, Marshall McLuhan, mental health, Nicholas Carr, paradox, Pokemon Go, politics, social experiments, technology

If there was a word we could use to define the current times, paradox would certainly have to be a

complexity science & technology social media

The more we get together

June 18, 2016 Cameron D. Norman 394 Views complexity, diversity, Donald Trump, England, Ethan Zuckerman, journalism, Marshall McLuhan, media, media ecology, Nicholas Carr, Robin Dunbar, social networks, technology, United Kingdom, United States

As we forge ever-greater connections online to each other and the world of ideas the thinking was that we would

public health social media

Public Health and Social Media: Catching Fire From Small Sparks

July 24, 2013July 24, 2013 Cameron D. Norman 813 Views Andre Picard, Cameron Norman, CENSE Research + Design, Globe and Mail, health communications, health promotion, Jenny McCarthy, journalism, knowledge transfer, Marshall McLuhan, media, media ecology, network theory, population health, public engagement, research, social media, social networks, Toronto, Toronto Public Health, Twitter, vaccination, youth

Public health is regrettably not a field that I often think of when I consider powerful examples of using social

business social media

Too Much Social Media, Not Enough Social Message

July 30, 2012July 30, 2012 Cameron D. Norman 564 Views Cluetrain manifesto, communication, complexity, Edmund Snow Carpenter, emergence, Facebook, idea markets, knowledge integration, knowledge translation, learning, markets, Marshall McLuhan, media ecology, social media, Twitter, Web 2.0, YouTube

Social media is any networked information technology, tool or platform that derives its content and principal value from user engagement

psychology social media

Mindful Navigation of Complexity and Social Media

July 4, 2012 Cameron D. Norman 428 Views Buddhify, Clay Shirky, complexity, contemplative inquiry, health behaviour change, information, Marshall McLuhan, media, media ecology, meditation, mental health, mindfulness, Mitch Joel, news, psychology, social media, wellbeing

If we are to mindfully design our social media ecology and do it in a manner that promotes empathy and connection, rather than overwhelms us; engenders learning and insight over simple content absorption; and promotes creativity and innovation rather than just talks about it, we need to answer the question more intently and act accordingly.

complexity social systems

What the Slutwalk, Marshall McLuhan and Rebecca Black Have in Common

April 3, 2011April 3, 2011 Cameron D. Norman 1107 Views complexity, health promotion, Marshall McLuhan, media, social justice, social media, Toronto, women's rights

Poverty, racism, access to health services, mental health and wellness, and education are all issues that are complex. They cannot or will not allow themselves to be understood in simple terms, yet are issues that speak to the wellbeing of society. Slutwalk was about rights and freedoms for more than one half of our population. It was about respecting people for who they are, honouring their sexuality, and educating everyone about the prevalence, consequences and risks associated with unwanted sexual advancement and assault. When it becomes a Rebecca Black Friday issue, it is about things like the salacious use of risque’ language and when it is a McLuhan issue, it takes a library to understand it.

Surely with our amazing tools we can find some middle ground to make the complex accessible, and the simple more sophisticated.

education & learning psychology social media social systems

Social Insularity and the Not-So-Wide World Web

July 16, 2010 Cameron D. Norman 505 Views Apple, diversity, global, Marshall McLuhan, media, politics, social media, social networks, social systems

The Internet holds promise of connecting people together in diverse celebration of knowledge. This dream hasn’t been realized and may not be unless we transform our technological networking tools with our psycho-social tools.