McLuhan elusively stated that a light-through medium lets light pass through itself to represent messages. On the other hand, light-on media can only deliver messages through the process of light reflection. An interesting point here is that this process naturally creates a certain distance between the recipient of the message and the medium.
Light-through media such as TVs and computers function as sources of light that radiate or glow, intoxicating recipients with an aura generated by the light, which then facilitates a kind of emotional and implosive interaction.
When watching TV or using computers, we hardly sit still on a couch, simply staring at the screen trying to pay full attention. It is not surprising to see people moving around while watching TV or interacting with computers. These media fundamentally make people do something, whether it’s flipping TV channels with a remote control or browsing the internet by finger dancing on a mouse and keyboard.
