"Bias"
Today's Question: The Bias of Communication is known as a "classic" in the study of communication technology, but it is also described as "difficult," "nonlineal," "puzzling," and "a struggle" -- probably chiefly because the book does not build to a sustained or coherent argument. Choose one of the three essays assigned for today and read them in the manner suggested by the introduction -- as an "idea file." Identify some important concept, theory, or insight in the essay you chose and describe its importance. Please describe the idea critically as appropriate -- list drawbacks as well as praise. It may be helpful to reference earlier class readings as a point of comparison to show what is different about Innis' ideas or his disciplinary approach (economic history).
My Response:
In his second essay, “The Bias of Communication” Innis stated his unique observation of communication medium. Innis suggested that to study communication medium’s “important influence on the dissemination of knowledge over space and over time” in “its cultural setting”, it is “necessary to study its characteristics”. Two characteristics of communication medium were identified, time bias and space bias. The former is heavy and durable medium, such as clay and stone. This kind of medium is not suitable for transportation but has the characteristic of time bias. In contrast, the latter is light and easily transported, such as papyrus and paper. Its characteristic makes this kind of medium transportable but not long lasting, i.e. space bias.
According to Innis, the history of human civilization is the evolution of communication medium. The progress of human society and dissemination of knowledge is closely related to the medium adopted. The communication medium can reflect the cultural characteristics of the civilization. As general trend, the communication media adopted by people are from heavy to light, and from time bias ones to space bias.
Innis pointed out that time bias medium is religionary, commercial and monopolistic. Time bias medium emphasizes the authority, hierarchy and inviolability. It is difficult to utilize time bias medium to control a very large area. Power can be only confined in a relatively small area when using clay and/or stone as the communication medium. The dissemination of knowledge through space is also difficult. On the other hand, space bias medium is political, democratic and for the masses. This kind of medium can help the emperors to expand their territory and assist dissemination of science and knowledge. As a result, people can easily access knowledge and development the ability of “thinking”. With the rise of printing medium, the monopoly of papacy and church was broken. In Innis’s eye, the human history is the history of communication medium development and competition. The secret of a long lasting authority is balancing of time bias and space bias medium.
Unlike other readings from this course, Innis's essay is looking at "macro-history". Instead of focusing on any specific communication medium, Innis studied and generalized the trend of medium evolution and its impact on human society development. This method is very interesting and unique. But, Innis’s opinion is obviously technology determinism, which is criticized explicitly or implicitly in our previous readings. Communication medium is considered to be almost the only driven power of human society development. Human and/or society passively accept any available communication medium and can only follow the trend of technology development. Innis also seems to be very pessimistic about the medium evolving processes. In Innis’s description, existing authority usually neglects or even confines the power of advanced medium and thus turned out to be replaced by others. The continuity of knowledge and eternity are thus hurt in this process.