Blog #3 - Innis's concepts of the bias of communication practices and media forms - By Sarah Humphreys
The definition of an artifact is an object made by a human being, including but not limited to items such as textiles, tools, and art. An essential element to the definition of the word is that it is an object made by a human being in any space and at any time. It is with such definition, that a connection can be made to the Canadian scholar, Harold Innis, and his concept of the bias of communication practices and media forms. For this blog post, the task is to view two media artifacts on Vimy Ridge to aid in remembering the importance of the historical event. The two media artifacts utilized were web-based platforms, a video from CBC, and the other, information pages from the Canadian National Vimy Memorial website.
The viewed media artifacts provided a rich history of the horrific battle between allied forces against the axis power of Germany. A four-day battle was fought and won by the Allies, however many lost lives and Canada's participation was viewed as pivotal to the outcome as such France gifted Canada land to build a monument on Vimy Ridge.
Although at this point it may feel as if you are reading a history lesson, it is important to note that Innis typically used historical moments of civilization to support his theories in the understanding of the effects of media in communication. Innis believed that there is social significance to all types of media and how different types of media always relate to space and time, indeed all kinds of media exhibit a certain bias to control either space or time. For Innis, geographic features and infrastructures such as roads and railways were considered media enabling governments to extend control of territories providing a bias of space. Media reflecting a bias of time includes institutions with the ability to endure over a long period of time.
In context to the media artifacts examined on Vimy Ridge, the concept of a bias of time is prevalent. The monument itself is a bias of time as it has a relatively short lifespan due to environmental erosion and the webpage recording/ information pages are a bias of time, as they are easily transportable, making it long-lasting. (It is important to note that the Internet can be considered to have a bias towards both space and time. The internet provides information over space as it provides information globally, however, since it provides information on civilizations it can be considered to provide information over time). I contend that the subject of Vimy is not a leading-edge topic and as such it can be considered a bias of time.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThis is an articulate post; I like how you organized your thoughts. Mainly, your ability to weave Innis’s ideas around your thoughts about the monument in Vimy Ridge made for an easy read in terms of understanding your writing process. Your understanding of Innis’s use of historical moments to propagate his theories was beneficial and allowed you to apply his work to Vimy Ridge seamlessly. By providing characteristics of his work before applying, you create a deeper understanding of it, making it more plausible for applying and analyzing Vimy Ridge. It is something that I wish I had done to make my post more well-rounded and less jolting than simply taking two definitions and applying them. So I thank you for your post, as it will be in the back of my mind when writing the exam as I attempt to flesh out some of his medium theory in a coherent and organized manner.
The monument is, without a doubt, time biased, as you indicated. In my post, I argued that it is also space biased. Before the virtual tour, people would have to visit the monument to understand how it differs from the narrative of Vimy Ridge as a military victory. The monument does not pay any attention to fighting, guns and tactical strategy but reflects the morning and sacrifice experienced by soldiers and their families. Do you agree with my assessment? Thanks for a well-put-together post; your writing style was very complimentary to showcase your understanding.
Hi Keenan! I really appreciate your kind words towards the organization of my post, I tried my best haha!
DeleteAlso, thank you very much for sharing your perspective! I definitely agree with your argument and although I argued that it was a bias of time I can definitely see how it could be viewed as a bias of space, as the virtual tour can reach people of various distances, conveying information.