Essay Example on Harold Innis & Applying His Concepts to the Internet

Although the work by Harold Innis was done long ago, there is much relevance that can be associated with it now. There are various ways through which his concepts apply to the internet currently. That shows the means through which communication has evolved, but some of its primary elements remain the same. The first way through which Innis's concepts about media apply to the internet is concerning the issue of monopoly potential. Initially, the main form of communication was oral, owing to the stage of development at that period. It was the only medium; hence all people used it, and there was little use of any substitute form of communication. However, currently, with development in communication, there is the internet, which has some aspects of a monopoly. It is capable of meeting the communication needs of people at the moment, just like oral communication did when it was in use. The internet is capable of supporting verbal and written communication, and a combination of the same, which gives it dominance over all other forms of communication.

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The other concept that Innis had concerning media is the effect that a type of impact it had on the people using it. Initially, oral communication was used to pass across ideas and unite people in different ways. People received instruction, and various aspects of history were passed on from one generation to another (Frost, 2003). Concerning the internet, there are numerous effects on the people that use it, which combine those by other types of media. The internet is capable of educating and uniting people, just like oral and written communication used to. However, the significant difference here is regarding the scale of the effect. Verbal communication had a significant limitation of the audience and geographical location. That has been solved by the internet, which is characterized by unlimited access. Thus, it is evident that any type of media has a positive effect on the people using it, despite the slight differences that might exist between them.

The other way through which Innis's concepts about media apply to the internet is about the memorability of information. Earlier, when the dominant form of communication was verbal communication, most details were lost over time. Only significant events in society were remembered, while the little, and sometimes essential details, were forgotten. However, with written communication, the preservation of information over time was done better. There were records of history, which would be accessed over time, though by a limited number of people. Information was rarely lost as it was passed down to different generations. Even though written communication preserved facts, one the document was lost; the information could not be retrieved too. However, with the use of the internet, data loss has been solved, and information can be stored with the assurance of being available over a long time. Through the use of cloud storage and other data solutions, the issue of loss of information is solved. Information can be passed on across many generations without any loss of details, and with the assurance that it will always be available for reference. The idea about the loss of valuable information was relevant then and still is which has enhanced technological advancements over the internet to prevent the loss of information over time.

Innis did discuss the issue of conflict among mediums that bear information, whereby there was a struggle for control. When there was a change that has the effect of changing the dominance of a form that existed before, there was always a struggle between the old and new. That is evident even today in the face of various innovations over the internet. When a given innovation is implemented, it has the effect of creating a threat to the existence of the dominant forms (Logan, 2000). That creates rivalry, which motivates frequent creativity and innovation in the information industry. For example, when writing was replacing verbal communication, some parties were against written communication, as some of the favorable attributes in oral communication would be eroded. That is evident today when a new form is created; there is always a struggle with the existing forms. Thus, it is evident that Innis's ideas about information are still relevant today.

References

Frost, C. (2003). How Prometheus is bound: Applying the Innis method of communications analysis to the Internet. Canadian Journal of Communication, 28(1).Retrieved from: https://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/1338/1396

Logan, R. K. (2000). The sixth language: Learning a living in the Internet age. Toronto: Stoddart. Retrieved from: https://nibo.in.net/v1.pdf