Symbols, thought, and reality: The contributions of Benjamin Lee Whorf and Susanne K. Langer to media ecology

Abstract

Media ecology may be defined as the study of the roles played by symbol systems and technologies in our construction of reality and social institutions, cultural practices, and values. This idea arose initially out of early 20th century physics and, in particular, of key questions asked by Einstein and Heisenberg. The idea achieved its central role in studies of culture and communication primarily through the ground‐breaking work of linguistic anthropologists, such as Whorf, and symbolic philosophers, such as Langer. This essay explicates the key ideas that Whorf and Langer set forth in their work and which lie at the very foundations of media ecology.