Edward Tufte has been quoted as saying, “Power corrupts, and PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.” Marshall McLuhan, if he knew PowerPoint, would have described it as a HOT medium, one which grabs the visual senses and reduces thinking as there is little need for the human mind to fill in any gaps (similar to watching television – another HOT medium).
T.X. Hammes, in the (American) Armed Forces Journal refers to PowerPoint as “dumb-dumb bullets” and attacks the “cult” of PowerPoint presentations in the armed forces. He writes, “Make no mistake, PowerPoint is not a neutral tool — it is actively hostile to thoughtful decision-making. It has fundamentally changed our culture by altering the expectations of who makes decisions, what decisions they make and how they make them.” The rest of the article is the arguments to back up this statement. A worthwhile read. (GW)
Essay: Dumb-dumb Bullets | Armed Forces Journal | T.X. Hammes | July 2009
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