DOI: 10.36347/sjet.2022.v10i09.002

Pages: 235-244

The study attempted to investigate the visual perception differences between image news and text news using an eye-tracking device, the Tobii, to verify Marshall McLuhan's hot media and cool media theory. Experimental stimuli were four: two news items were edited as image news and text news, respectively. In order to analyze the subjects' visual responses to the actual viewing of the news content, we selected two parameters, Fixation Count and Total of Fixation Duration, from the multiple parameters recorded by the Tobii device. Then we used the AOI tool to divide the stimulus into two regions, the literal part and the whole material, analyzed these two parameters separately. The subjects in this study consisted of 22 people, and they were divided into two groups, each reading one text news item and one image news item. The experimental results showed significant visual perception differences in the Fixation Count between the subjects of the two media. This finding is consistent with McLuhan's hot and cool media theory, suggesting a significant difference between these media on human visual perception. For another parameter of total fixation time, however, although subjects spent more average time on text news relative to image news, this difference was not found to be statistically supported. This section is also discussed in this paper. The present paper discusses McLuhan's concept of hot and cool media and the distinction between the two concepts, the extension of the senses, the sensory ratio, and other important views. Through the vision data collected, this study explores the possibility of using an experimental approach to study McLuhan's theory of hot media and cool media from a sensory perspective. We hope that this research will provide ahelpful addition to understanding the more complex technical and cultural concepts underpinned by hot and cool media.