CS400U Blog Post 2
For this blog post, I’ll be discussing the plague of Pontypool in terms of Harold Innis’ analysis of ancient empires and media forms and explaining whether the virus is an example of time-bias or space-bias.
The plague of Pontypool can be related to Harold Innis’ concept of time-bias and space-bias media. Time-bias media encompasses oral traditions or religious text and is durable. Whereas, space-bias media, such as print and broadcast, are ephemeral but allow for a larger reach of communication across wide distances.
In the film Pontypool, the language virus infects individuals through speech and meaning, which aligns it with space-bias media. How the virus spreads, through oral communication and telecommunications shows that the virus can travel across distances, rather than being endured over time. Furthermore, the virus spread very fast through the radio station, which played a key role in disseminating the virus. The use of the radio station supports Innis’ concept of space bias media.
Overall, Pontypool shows how our language can be relayed and spread across vast lands through media such as broadcasting, and radio. Without the radio, the virus wouldn’t have been able to infect so many individuals, demonstrating how crucial space bias media is in contemporary society, to get people to hear different messages.
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe,
I agree that space-biased media is crucial in contemporary society as messages can be relayed and spread across countries and cultures. However, in Pontypool, this seemed to cause several challenges with spreading the virus further. With that being said, this film makes me think of the COVID-19 pandemic and the way news was reported and disseminated. For example, information about COVID-19 would not have been able to spread as quickly without the affordances of space-biased media, which would have prevented countries from preparing the best possible strategy for health and safety. On the other hand, it could be argued that without the rapid transmission of media, the spread of misinformation and fake news could have been reduced. Thus, there are benefits and drawbacks to space-biased media.
Thanks for sharing!
Best,
Emma
Hi Emma,
DeleteThanks so much for the response! It totally correlates to COVID-19 and the way news was spread. It seemed to have happened overnight, the media was insanely fast and it was all you could hear about for the time being. The rapid transmission of news about COVID-19 definitely contributed to the vast amounts of misinformation.
Hi Chloe,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of the radio being integral to the spreading of the virus! It reminds me of how the spread of misinformation is spread like wildfire in mass media compared to word of mouth or other more individual forms of auditory communication. Just like misinformation, the virus spreads exponentially faster when they say the infected words on the radio because it would reach everyone tuning in, mo matter where they are. Even the BBC becomes aware of the virus (and possibly spreads the infection). Great connection to Innis's theory of space bias media!