Marshall McLuhan and Harold A. Innis: Communication Theory (for a Multicultural World) ‘à la canadienne’?. Augsburg: Institute for Canadian Studies, University of Augsburg, 14.06.2012-15.06.2012.

Reviewed by Katja Walter

Published on H-Soz-u-Kult (July, 2012)

“Marshall McLuhan and Harold A. Innis: In his keynote address “Communicative Communication Theory (for a Multicultural Abundance and Democracy: New Probes inspired World) ‘à la canadienne’” – that was the title of an by the Writings of Harold Innis and Marshall interdisciplinary workshop held by the Institute McLuhan” JOHN KEANE (Sydney) painted a rather for Canadian Studies (University of Augsburg) on positive picture of the role of new media in de‐ June 14 and 15, 2012. One of the reasons for mocratization processes as they have recently tak‐ choosing this topic for an international workshop en place in several Arab countries. Other than the was the 100th birthday of the Canadian communi‐ “old media”, Keane outlined, the internet re-uni‐ cation theorist Marshall McLuhan that took place fed text, sound, and image; therefore, the difer‐ in 2011. Together with Harold Innis he is consid‐ entiation that McLuhan once had made between ered the founder of the Toronto School of Commu‐ hot and cool media – cool media require greater nication which was one of the frst to examine the efort by the consumer to understand the content impact of medial and technological development whereas hot media only require little involve‐ on societal changes, as PHILIPP GASSERT (Augs‐ ment – was obsolete. Furthermore, Keane charac‐ burg), Chair for Transatlantic Cultural History, terized the internet as a “distributed network”, outlined in his opening remarks. Recent develop‐ contrary to the former centralized and decentral‐ ments in the Western and in the Arab World be‐ ized structures of communication. Caused by the ing closely linked with the use of social media “communicative abundance”, Keane pointed out made the issue even more prevailing. Discussions that we fnd ourselves today in a new revolution‐ during the workshop thus often came back to the ary age. He demonstrated this on four trends: issue of democracy and the infuences new media First, the internet has led to a democratization of evoke on its performance – in a positive as well as information. It enables citizens to inform them‐ in a negative manner. Another focus was put onto selves by having cost-free or very cheap access to the special Canadian context in which McLuhan information collected in huge databases. Second, and Innis had developed their theoretical ap‐ the internet constantly blurs the diference be‐ proaches. The way they were infuenced by what tween the private and the public sphere. This, of one might call Canadian identity and the way in course, also leads us to the normative question of which they themselves infuenced the perception what should be private and what should be pub‐ of Canadian society and politics through commu‐ lic. Strongly related to that trend is the third one, nication means played a crucial role in the pre‐ which he subsumes under the label “new mug sentations given during the workshop. raking”. Through the invention of the internet a H-Net Reviews new level of revelation and exposure of public tervention. From this technological determinism persons, especially politicians that have to resign derives McLuhans probably most cited phrase due to these revelations has been reached. As a “The medium is the message” – which has often fourth trend, Keane pointed out the phenomenon been criticized. of unelected representatives. Their credibility and Among those critics is also MICHÈLE MARTIN their persuasive power often make them a symbol (Ottawa) Professor for Communication, Sociolo‐ for a whole group of people. gist and second presenter on the frst section of Although Keane admitted that there were also the workshop. The title of her paper was “The dark sides of the spread of media usage and tech‐ Canadian School of Communication: Innis’, nological development he stressed the positive McLuhan’s, Grant’s and Smythe’s contribution to impact they have on democratic development and the feld of communication and mass media in considered himself to be an optimist concerning Canada and elsewhere”. Like Benesch, she also fo‐ the role of the internet in democratization pro‐ cuses on the issue of technological determinism cesses. By enabling citizens to constantly monitor which has been stressed by McLuhan and Innis, government ofcials the unscrutinized exercise of but also by the less popular communication theo‐ power became even more illegitimate and there‐ rists George Grant and Dallas W. Smythe who fore leads to democratization processes, he ar‐ brought the class issue into the debate. Grant con‐ gued. siders technology and therefore technological de‐ The frst section on Friday morning was velopment as a means of power. Societal struc‐ chaired by PETER A. KRAUS (Augsburg) who has tures in a capitalist society, he argues, are refect‐ recently been appointed Chair of Political Science ed in technological developments. In a similar di‐ at the University of Augsburg. Two papers dealing rection argues Smythe who is most known for his with the specifc Canadian context in which the writings on the “audience blindspot” a phenome‐ Toronto School of Communication has emerged non which has come into the focus of the public were presented in this section. interest again with the spreading of social media. As “audience blindspot”, Smythe describes the KLAUS BENESCH (Munich), who is Professor fact that the audience’s labor power is being ex‐ of North American Literary History, presented a ploited through advertising as the audience con‐ paper named “US-Canadian Myth Criticism: A tributes both to the production of the advertisers’ Comparative Look at Northrop Frye, Marshall and to the producers’ proft – without being McLuhan and Leo Marx”. In his lecture, Benesch aware of it. His argumentation is thus a clearly stressed the Canadian lack of a single and univer‐ Marxist one, as is also Grant’s. McLuhan as well sal identity as classifed by Northrop Frye. Some stressed the meaning of classes for technological even considered Canada to be a “country without development and the perception of media. Al‐ mythology” (Davies). This lack of mythology has though Martin fundamentally disagreed with his been interpreted by critics like Frye and McLuhan statement that the message was the medium she as a universal mythology in itself. In this context, acknowledged McLuhan’s crucial role in founding McLuhan primarily focused on the construction a theory dealing with communication in general of such a myth through media technology. This in‐ and media in general. According to her, McLuhan terest was shared by Leo Marx, a US-American could also provide useful insights particularly cultural critic. Both scholars’ work is character‐ concerning the way in which social media change ized by a “technological determinism” in the our societies today. This was also one of the points sense that they consider technological develop‐ the following discussion focused on: The partici‐ ment to be a process independent from human in‐ pants asked about the exercise of power through

2 H-Net Reviews social media or nearly-monopolists such as debate, he asked for a stronger empirical and ana‐ Google. Some stressed that other than the old me‐ lytical view on the subject which takes into ac‐ dia, the internet and especially the web 2.0 in‐ count both positive and negative impacts techno‐ volved the user from the beginning. Instead of be‐ logical innovation can have on societal and demo‐ ing a one-way-street of communication, structures cratic development. become more decentralized; therefore, the exer‐ The following discussion mainly concentrated cise of power through new media might be harder on developments in Europe and especially in Ger‐ to identify and thus harder to resist against than many. The scholars tried to interpret the role the within the old media. newly evolving party “The Pirates” has for the After a short pause the Workshop continued change of the German party system. Great interest with the second panel chaired by RAINER-OLAF has also been shown concerning the interdepen‐ SCHULTZE (Augsburg), predecessor of Kraus as dencies between the development of party sys‐ chair for political sciences and still director of the tems including the change of voting stabilities in Institute for Canadian Studies. Like Michèle Mar‐ general and the formation of the internet. tin, HENRIK G. BASTIANSEN (Oslo) asked about The interdisciplinary workshop has shown the impact the Toronto School of Communication that there are many ways in which communica‐ could have on today’s communication theory. tion theory and the development of new media However, he focused stronger on methodological such as the internet and the web 2.0 infuence to‐ tools the historical sciences could employ in order day’s societies and democratization processes. to use Innis’ and McLuhan’s approach to examine Even though today hardly anybody is willing to communicative and technological developments share Innis’ and McLuhan’s technological deter‐ in recent decades. His research mainly concen‐ minism, the Toronto School of Communication trated on the Norwegian context for which he had can still provide a worthwhile background for an‐ found out that the rise of television in the 1960s alyzing those interdependencies. Several disci‐ and 1970s had led to the fall of the party press. plines – history, social and political sciences as The fnal presentation by RALF LINDNER well as literature – contributed fruitfully to the in‐ (Berlin) in a way summarized the issues which sights given by the workshop. However, many had been subject of discussions and presentations open questions remain in that feld which is cur‐ during the day. He asked about the impact techno‐ rently going through great changes: communica‐ logical advancement could have on the develop‐ tion means are advancing faster and faster, revo‐ ment of both societies and democracies. Other lutions take place in the Arab world, newly de‐ than Keane in his keynote address Lindner point‐ mocratized systems like Egypt will have to prove ed at the ambiguous efects the internet potential‐ their stability, and the changes of party systems in ly could evoke. The World Wide Web, he argued, Europe are by no means coming to an end. There‐ ofered a wide range of communication possibili‐ fore, much space for further research remains in ties, which could not only be used as means of lib‐ that interesting and dynamic feld to which the eration and the pursuit of freedom of expression Toronto School of Communication certainly can but also as a technology of control. Lindner admit‐ give worthwhile impulses. ted that the internet had widened the processes of Conference Overview: agenda-setting to new groups of society but he re‐ Keynote Address John Keane (Sydney): Com‐ minded that the social conditions in which tech‐ municative Abundance and Democracy: New nologies are applied had to be taken into consid‐ Probes inspired by the Writings of Harold Innis eration. Pointing at the often normatively loaded and Marshall McLuhan

3 H-Net Reviews

Klaus Benesch (Munich): US-Canadian Myth- Criticism: A Comparative Look at Northrop Frye, Marshall McLuhan and Leo Marx Michèle Martin (Ottawa): The Canadian School of Communication: Innis’, McLuhan’s, Grant’s and Smythe’s contribution to the feld of communication and mass media in Canada and elsewhere Henrik G. Bastiansen (Volda, Norway): From Harold Innis to Marshall McLuhan and Beyond: The Toronto School of Communication and the Rise of Research in Media History Ralf Lindner (Karlsruhe / Berlin): The trans‐ formative potential of new media: between hype and reality

If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/

Citation: Katja Walter. Review of Marshall McLuhan and Harold A. Innis: Communication Theory (for a Multicultural World) ‘à la canadienne’?. H-Soz-u-Kult, H-Net Reviews. July, 2012.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=36770

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

4