MinervasOwl

HaroldInnis(18941952)
ACanadianpoli>caleconomist Acentralgurein communica>onstheory

FromtheendofWWIIun>lhisdeathin 1952,Innisworkedsteadilyonan inves>ga>onofthesocialhistoryof communica>on,studyingthe communica>onmediaofthelast4000 years.Fromthethousandpage manuscriptwhichheleNathisdeath camehistwopioneeringcommunica>ons works:EmpireandCommunica/ons (1950),andTheBiasofCommunica/on (1951).

HaroldAdamsInnis: TheBiasofCommunica>ons& MonopoliesofPower

hTp://www.mediastudies.ca/ar>cles/innis.htm

BiasofCommunica>on

 Innisbelievedthattherela>vestabilityof culturesdependsonthebalanceand propor>onoftheirmedia.

Howdospeciccommunica>on technologiesoperate? Whatassump>onsdotheytake fromandcontributetosociety? Whatformsofpowerdothey encourage?

Akeytosocialchangeisfoundinthe developmentofcommunica>on media.Eachmediumembodiesa biasintermsoftheorganiza>onand controlofinforma>on.

Anyempireorsocietyisgenerally concernedwithdura>onover>meand extensioninspace.

Timebiasedmedia,suchas stoneandclay,aredurable andheavy.Sincetheyare diculttomove,theydo notencourageterritorial expansion;however,since theyhavealonglife,they doencouragethe extensionofempireover >me.

Innisassociatedthesemediawiththe customary,thesacred,andthemoral. Timebiasedmediafacilitatethe developmentofsocialhierarchies,as archetypallyexempliedbyancientEgypt. ForInnis,speechisa>mebiasedmedium.

Spacebiasedmediaarelight andportable;theycanbe transportedoverlarge distances.Theyareassociated withsecularandterritorial socie>es;theyfacilitatethe expansionofempireover space.Paperissuchamedium; itisreadilytransported,but hasarela>velyshortlifespan.

Organiza>onofempires
Militaris>cconcernedwiththe conquestofspace.

Religiousconcernedwiththe conquestof>me.

Compara>vely,themediathat havesupportedthemilitary conqueringofspacehavebeen lighter,sothattheconstraintsof longdistancescouldbelessened. Thosemediathatsupported theocra>cempireshadrela>ve durabilityasamajorcharacteris>c sothattheycouldsupportthe conceptsofeternallifeand endlessdynas>es.

Stablesocie>eswereabletoachievea balancebetween>meandspacebiased communica>onsmedia

Changecomesfromthemarginsofsociety, sincepeopleonthemarginsinvariably developtheirownmedia.

Thenewmediaallowthoseontheperiphery todevelopandconsolidatepower,and ul>matelytochallengetheauthorityofthe centre.

La>nwriTenonparchment, themediumoftheChris>an Church,wasaTackedthrough thesecularmediumof vernacularswriTenonpaper. Themonopolyposi>onofthe BibleandtheLa>nlanguage inthechurchwasdestroyed bythepressandinitsplace theredevelopedawide spreadmarketfortheBiblein thevernacularandaconcern withitsliteralinterpreta>on.

Oralcommunica>on,speech,wasconsidered byInnistobe>mebiasedbecauseitrequires therela>vestabilityofcommunityforfaceto facecontact.

Knowledgepasseddownorallydependsona lineageoftransmission,oNenassociatedwith ancestors,andra>edbyhumancontact.

Innisisforthrightinhisownbiasthattheoral tradi>onisinherentlymoreexibleand humanis>cthanthewriTentradi>on,which hefoundrigidandimpersonalincontrast.

TheMonopolyofPower

Monopolynotjustaeconomicconceptbut includescultureandpoli>cs.

Societynetworkofcommunica>onssystems Keyjuncturesornodalpointswhere signicantinforma>onisstored,andfrom whereitistransmiTedtootherpartsofthe system.

Individualsorgroupswhocontrolaccessto thosepointswieldgreatpower

Thosewhomonopolizeknowledgewield greatpowerandarealsoinaposi>onto denewhatislegi>mateknowledge.

Monopoliesofknowledgetendtopolarize socie>esintoamassoftheignorantanda knowledgeelite.Monopoliesofknowledge encouragecentraliza>onofpower.Those whocontrolknowledgehavethepowerto denereality.

Newmediathreatentodisplace thepreviousmonopoliesof knowledge "Themonopolyofknowledge centeringaroundstoneand hieroglyphicswasexposedto compe>>onfrompapyrusasa newandmoreecientmedium"

Itisreallythe"monopoliesof knowledge"whichareatstakein thelongevityofempires. Newmediathreatentodisplace thepreviousmonopoliesof knowledge,unlessthosemedia canbeenlistedintheserviceof thepreviouspowerstructures.

Inourown>me,wehavewitnessedsuch shiNingmonopoliesinthedeliveryofnewsto themassesfromnewspaperstoradioto televisiontotheinternet.Eachmediumhasits bias,abiaswhichchangesinrela>ontothe signicanceoftheothersintheconsciousness ofcultures.

Thoseculturesmadepowerfulthroughtheir formermonopoliesofknowledgebasedon lm,print,ortelevisionbecomevulnerableto theaTacksofcultureswhichmakeuseofnew communica>onstechnologies.

EZLNtherevolu>onaryZapa>stamovement ofChiapas,Mexicousesitswebsiteto counteractnega>vepropagandafromthe MexicanandUnitedStatesgovernments whichaTempttodistortthenatureofthis populistrevolu>on.

Ifwefurtherjuxtaposethebiasofanempire forapar>cularsetofcommunica>onsmedia, howthisbiasaectsourimpressionsofthat empire,andhowourownbiasesinuenceour observa>onsthenwebegintoapproximate Innismethodofmediaanalysis.

Wecanfurtherreneourstudyofmediaby focusingonthemonopoliesofknowledge withinanyempire,andthepoten>alfor marginalizedculturestoadoptnew technologiesinordertogainsomeleverage againstmorepowerfulna>ons.

"MinervasOwlbeginsitsightonlyin thegatheringdusk
Theoweringoftheculturecomesbeforeitscollapse

Atechnologicalrealist Itwouldthusbeamistaketoconsider Innisatechnologicaldeterminist:he doesnotbelievethattechnology drivessocialevolu>on. Hedoes,however,appreciatethe considerablepowerinvestedin communica>onstechnologiesand monopoliesofknowledgetoshape culture.

Thecrea>vepossibili>esof eachnewmedium

SoIclickedmany>mes over.Butagain,nothing happened.ThenIclickedon itlikeawomanpressesa bindiontoherforehead, anditclicked!

Sangeeta Cybermohalla,28072004

SoIclickedmany>mes over.Butagain,nothing happened.ThenIclickedon itlikeawomanpressesa bindiontoherforehead, anditclicked!

Sangeeta Cybermohalla,28072004