Minerva’sOwl

HaroldInnis(1894‐1952)

•  ACanadianpoli>caleconomist•  Acentralfigureincommunica>onstheory

FromtheendofWWIIun>lhisdeathin1952,Innisworkedsteadilyonaninves>ga>onofthesocialhistoryofcommunica>on,studyingthecommunica>onmediaofthelast4000years.FromthethousandpagemanuscriptwhichheleNathisdeathcamehistwopioneeringcommunica>onsworks:EmpireandCommunica/ons(1950),andTheBiasofCommunica/on(1951).

HaroldAdamsInnis:TheBiasofCommunica>ons&MonopoliesofPower

hTp://www.media‐studies.ca/ar>cles/innis.htm

BiasofCommunica>on

Innisbelievedthattherela>vestabilityofculturesdependsonthebalanceandpropor>onoftheirmedia.

Howdospecificcommunica>ontechnologiesoperate?

Whatassump>onsdotheytakefromandcontributetosociety?

Whatformsofpowerdotheyencourage?

Akeytosocialchangeisfoundinthedevelopmentofcommunica>onmedia.Eachmediumembodiesabiasintermsoftheorganiza>onandcontrolofinforma>on.

Anyempireorsocietyisgenerallyconcernedwithdura>onover>meandextensioninspace.

Time‐biasedmedia,suchasstoneandclay,aredurableandheavy.Sincetheyaredifficulttomove,theydonotencourageterritorialexpansion;however,sincetheyhavealonglife,theydoencouragetheextensionofempireover>me.

Innisassociatedthesemediawiththecustomary,thesacred,andthemoral.

Time‐biasedmediafacilitatethedevelopmentofsocialhierarchies,asarchetypallyexemplifiedbyancientEgypt.

ForInnis,speechisa>me‐biasedmedium.

Space‐biasedmediaarelightandportable;theycanbetransportedoverlargedistances.Theyareassociatedwithsecularandterritorialsocie>es;theyfacilitatetheexpansionofempireoverspace.Paperissuchamedium;itisreadilytransported,buthasarela>velyshortlifespan.

Organiza>onofempires

Militaris>c–concernedwiththeconquestofspace.

Religious–concernedwiththeconquestof>me.

Compara>vely,themediathathavesupportedthemilitaryconqueringofspacehavebeenlighter,sothattheconstraintsoflongdistancescouldbelessened.

Thosemediathatsupportedtheocra>cempireshadrela>vedurabilityasamajorcharacteris>csothattheycouldsupporttheconceptsofeternallifeandendlessdynas>es.

Stablesocie>eswereabletoachieveabalancebetween>me‐andspace‐biasedcommunica>onsmedia

Changecomesfromthemarginsofsociety,sincepeopleonthemarginsinvariablydeveloptheirownmedia.

Thenewmediaallowthoseontheperipherytodevelopandconsolidatepower,andul>matelytochallengetheauthorityofthecentre.

La>nwriTenonparchment,themediumoftheChris>anChurch,wasaTackedthroughthesecularmediumofvernacularswriTenonpaper.Themonopolyposi>onoftheBibleandtheLa>nlanguageinthechurchwasdestroyedbythepressandinitsplacetheredevelopedawide‐spreadmarketfortheBibleinthevernacularandaconcernwithitsliteralinterpreta>on.

Oralcommunica>on,speech,wasconsideredbyInnistobe>me‐biasedbecauseitrequirestherela>vestabilityofcommunityforface‐to‐facecontact.

Knowledgepasseddownorallydependsonalineageoftransmission,oNenassociatedwithancestors,andra>fiedbyhumancontact.

Innisisforthrightinhisownbiasthattheoraltradi>onisinherentlymoreflexibleandhumanis>cthanthewriTentradi>on,whichhefoundrigidandimpersonalincontrast.

TheMonopolyofPower

Monopoly–notjustaeconomicconceptbutincludescultureandpoli>cs.

Society–networkofcommunica>onssystems

Keyjuncturesornodalpointswheresignificantinforma>onisstored,andfromwhereitistransmiTedtootherpartsofthesystem.

Individualsorgroupswhocontrolaccesstothosepointswieldgreatpower

Thosewhomonopolizeknowledgewieldgreatpowerandarealsoinaposi>ontodefinewhatislegi>mateknowledge.

Monopoliesofknowledgetendtopolarizesocie>esintoamassoftheignorantandaknowledgeelite.Monopoliesofknowledgeencouragecentraliza>onofpower.Thosewhocontrolknowledgehavethepowertodefinereality.

Newmediathreatentodisplacethepreviousmonopoliesofknowledge"Themonopolyofknowledgecenteringaroundstoneandhieroglyphicswasexposedtocompe>>onfrompapyrusasanewandmoreefficientmedium"

Itisreallythe"monopoliesofknowledge"whichareatstakeinthelongevityofempires.

Newmediathreatentodisplacethepreviousmonopoliesofknowledge,unlessthosemediacanbeenlistedintheserviceofthepreviouspowerstructures.

Inourown>me,wehavewitnessedsuchshiNingmonopoliesinthedeliveryofnewstothemassesfromnewspaperstoradiototelevisiontotheinternet.Eachmediumhasitsbias,abiaswhichchangesinrela>ontothesignificanceoftheothersintheconsciousnessofcultures.

Thoseculturesmadepowerfulthroughtheirformermonopoliesofknowledgebasedonfilm,print,ortelevisionbecomevulnerabletotheaTacksofcultureswhichmakeuseofnewcommunica>onstechnologies.

EZLN–therevolu>onaryZapa>stamovementofChiapas,Mexico–usesitswebsitetocounteractnega>vepropagandafromtheMexicanandUnitedStatesgovernmentswhichaTempttodistortthenatureofthispopulistrevolu>on.

Ifwefurtherjuxtaposethebiasofanempireforapar>cularsetofcommunica>onsmedia,howthisbiasaffectsourimpressionsofthatempire,andhowourownbiasesinfluenceourobserva>ons–thenwebegintoapproximateInnis’methodofmediaanalysis.

Wecanfurtherrefineourstudyofmediabyfocusingonthemonopoliesofknowledgewithinanyempire,andthepoten>alformarginalizedculturestoadoptnewtechnologiesinordertogainsomeleverageagainstmorepowerfulna>ons.

"Minerva’sOwlbeginsitsflightonlyinthegatheringdusk…”

Thefloweringoftheculturecomesbeforeitscollapse

Atechnologicalrealist

ItwouldthusbeamistaketoconsiderInnisatechnologicaldeterminist:hedoesnotbelievethattechnologydrivessocialevolu>on.Hedoes,however,appreciatetheconsiderablepowerinvestedincommunica>onstechnologiesandmonopoliesofknowledgetoshapeculture.

Thecrea>vepossibili>esofeachnewmedium

SoIclickedmany>mesover.Butagain,nothinghappened.ThenIclickedonitlikeawomanpressesabindiontoherforehead,anditclicked!

Sangeeta

Cybermohalla,28‐07‐2004

SoIclickedmany>mesover.Butagain,nothinghappened.ThenIclickedonitlikeawomanpressesabindiontoherforehead,anditclicked!

Sangeeta

Cybermohalla,28‐07‐2004