Blog Post #3

         Harold Adam Innis is an influential figure in the development of Canadian communication, as we all know Innis served in the first world war’s battle of Vimy Ridge until he was wounded. The battle of Vimy Ridge has been viewed to be a historical moment, as it was the defining moment of Canada becoming a sovereign nation and no longer existing under the authority of the British Empire. In relation to Innis’ main points in the bias of communication, time vs. space-biased media forms differ as time-biased media incorporates the idea of durability such as stone and clay since these are long-lasting and difficult to transport Innis believed in it promoting development. Speech was also a time-biased media for Innis included in his claim of it requiring face-to-face contact and the idea of knowledge being passed down through a lineage. Space-biased media is light and transportable such as paper, television, radio, and newspapers, however, the disadvantage of space-biased media is that it does not last very long. Both the media artifacts; the CBC video on “Why Vimy Ridge Matters,” and the Government of Canada website devoted to the Canadian National Vimy Monument embodies a mixture of time and space-biased media. The use of media in order to monumentalize the Vimy Memorial falls under space-biased as it is made available for people all across to world to virtually tour the memorial, Innis mentions how by preserving and making media discoverable it allows people to experience and learn about other cultures we otherwise would’ve never known. The easy accessibility of the historical monument makes room for people to think about its history and its contemporary relevance as Innis states, it creates a shared platform, encourages awareness, and upholds the memory and meaning. Similar to time-biased media, the physical historical artifact is non-transportable but communication through media sources allows space for the discourse and passing down the culture and the significance it has on our culture. Knowing and understanding the importance of Vimy Ridge and the monument as a nation helps us shape Canada as a sovereign state “in the present and the future.”

Do you know of any other culture or nation that has taken a similar approach to inform and revisit a significant historical artifact? If so, how did you come across it or is it a part of your own culture?


Comments

  1. Ashley Di PernaOctober 28, 2022 at 12:19 PM

    This is a great question. I know that many Indigenous cultures in Canada and the United States have started to post their cultural practices, such as powwows and moccasin making, on social media. This is a way to teach others about their culture, as well as celebrate the beauty of Indigenous people. The way I found out about these is that I follow a lot of dance and art accounts on Instagram, and so these Indigenous artists showed up and I got to learn about Indigenous culture from them. Unlike the Vimy Ridge memorial, many aspects of Indigenous are not time biased, so it is especially important that they spread their knowledge using space biased mediums like social media.

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