How Money Changed Society*Works Cited not includedMarshall McLuhan's lasting contribution is his vision of how technology affects and changes history and society. culture. McLuhan proposes that technologies are not mere additions to who and what humans are, but rather modify them as if technologies were actually extensions of humans. Technology determines culture and history as it “shapes and controls the scale and form of human associations and actions.” The introduction of money affected culture to the extent that this new technology gave rise to accelerated change and growth within society. Money increases the volume and diversity of trade and facilitates the exchange of goods and ideas. It is also a way to show who gives and who receives to society. Money is an extension of humanity's ability to give, receive and exchange. McLuhan argues that all media are extensions of man and therefore money extends the human faculty of giving and receiving work. McLuhan states in Understanding Media: Money, which for centuries has been the primary transmitter and exchange of information, is now seeing its function increasingly transferred to science and automation. (142)In addition, money makes many other businesses and technologies possible. The invention of money changed society and brought about changes. For example, 17th century Japan was affected by this new technology. This brought about a slow revolution, the collapse of feudal government and a resumption of foreign trade. McLuhan also points out in Understanding Media: Like any other media, it is a basic element, a natural resource. As an external and visible form of the desire to change and exchange, it is a corporate ima...... middle of paper ...... we often think in terms of exchange and counter-trade, talks and negotiations, but proceed directly to the balance of dollars and cents. Numbers, in such a case, are no longer distant abstractions, but useful measures of human desire, need, and power. Money creates a range of emotions in humans towards numbers, given the importance of money in satisfying or frustrating needs and wants. The emotional relationship between numbers and needs is dramatized and formalized with the introduction of money. Money technology is a dramatic and relatively obvious example of McLuhan's idea that inventions fundamentally change cultures and societies. Not only did money pave the way for mathematical thinking, it also expanded humanity's ability to give, receive, and exchange. In conclusion, money clearly illustrates McLuhan's proposition that "the medium is the message ».."