Bicol University

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS

Legazpi City,Albay

Prepared by: Group 5

Leader:
 Ana Mae Malate
Members:
 Ariane Esquivel
 Trishia Mourine Guintu
 Angelica Borras Demetrio
 Tricsy Jane Morano
 Franklin Banayo

Course and Block: Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting 2-B

Subject Course: Communication and Media Theory

OTHER SCHOOLS
A. TORONTO SCHOOL

The TORONTO SCHOOL is a school of thought in communication theory and literary

criticism founded primarily by scholars at the University of Toronto. "Toronto School"
maintains that the technologies of communication media are far more influential than
their content. Harold Adams Innis and Marshall McLuhan are not the first to make this
claim, but they have done so more provocatively and persistently than others.
Furthermore, they argue that media technologies have a dominant influence not only on
individuals but also on social structure and culture, and not just in modern times but from
the beginning. Their writings have sparked a lot of interest and heated debate, but there
hasn't been much systematic research done on them.

THE BIAS OF COMMUNICATION by Harold Innis

The idea of communication bias has piqued the interest of many academics in recent
years. The nature of bias is determined by the media used to connect with a certain
audience. Harold Adam Innis further claims that some communication platforms can
keep a message for a longer period of time, whilst others can't. People, particularly
politicians and opinion leaders, frequently choose a media outlet depending on its bias in
order to best convey their message. Communication bias and knowledge monopolies are
the subjects of this report.
DEFINING THE BIAS OF COMMUNICATION

Bias of communication refers to the limitations and reach of various media when
conveying a message to an audience. Some of these media have the ability to reach a
larger audience, whereas others are geographically limited.

Time-Biased Media and Space-Biased Media

There are two types of media in "The Bias of Communication."

Time-biased media are channels for transmitting messages and stories that can last for
generations. Their main weakness, however, is that they tend to reach a small audience.
Stone tablets, clay, parchment, hand-copied manuscripts, vellum, and oral sources are just
a few examples of time-biased communication media. Although it may not reach a large
number of people, it has the potential to last a long time. The epic poems of Homer are
perfect examples of time-biased communication. They have been around for centuries
and are expected to last even longer.

Space-biased media, on the other hand, has a larger audience reach but is transient in
nature. Unlike time-biased media, space-biased media can be used to broadcast a message
nationally and internationally in a short period of time. Its main shortcoming is that it
does not last long. Television, radio, and newspapers distributed over a larger geographic
area are examples of such media. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, and Instagram can also be classified as space-biased media. Their goal is to
reach a large audience with a timely message.

MONOPOLY OF KNOWLEDGE

The ability of a few individuals or entities to control the flow of information within a
certain territory is referred to as monopoly of knowledge. They distinguish between
information that is available to the whole public and information that is only available to
a select few. Universities, according to Shipman and Shipman, tend to dominate
knowledge by defining a rigorous means of sharing it. The political class also has a
tendency to monopolize knowledge in order to attain specific societal goals. When an
entity holds a monopoly on knowledge, it has complete control over what is made public.

EXAMPLES
 The transition from stone to papyrus resulted in a shift in power from royal to
priestly.
 Ancient Greece: an oral tradition and a flexible alphabet encouraged creativity
and prevented the formation of a priesthood with a monopoly on education.
 The Roman Empire's foundation and survival were aided by a writing and
document culture (administering distant provinces)
 Printing: challenged the bureaucratic monopoly of power while also encouraging
individualism and nationalism.
THE CONTRIBUTION

 Historical analysis with two dimensions: the ‗study of communication in history‘,

and the ‗history of communication‘
 Focus on the actual medium/technological artifact in order to assess
communication processes and their social significance
 Adapted the theory of monopoly to the study of communication as in the
economic sphere, communication leads over time to monopolization by a group or
a class of the means of production and distribution of knowledge ‗monopoly of
knowledge‘.
 Introduced the concept of the time-space divide.

CONCLUSION

Bias of communication has played a significant influence in the shift from time-biased to
space-biased media of communication. Knowledge monopoly was prevalent in the past.
However, as space-biased media grows in popularity, this is no longer the case. The
internet platform makes it simple to obtain necessary materials. Communication
continues to empower the general population while also dismantling knowledge
monopolies.

"THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE" by Marshall McLuhan

Marshall McLuhan was a visionary who was decades ahead of his time. The Canadian
was a philosopher and professor, but he is best known as a communications theorist.
The expression "the medium is the message" was coined by Canadian educator and
theorist Marshall McLuhan and is often interpreted to mean that the forms and methods
used to communicate information (the "media") have a significant impact on the
messages they deliver (including the meanings and other perceptions about those
messages).
In its most basic form, the expression implies that the mode of communication used—
book, podcast, social media post, etc.—will influence the perception of the message
delivered in some way (even, perhaps, if the same message is communicated with
different media).
The phrase is frequently used in the context of media that is thought to have a large
influence on society, such as forms of media that are thought to have changed—or have
the potential to change—how people experience the world.
For example, the expression could be used in the context of a discussion of the social
media platform Twitter and how its character count limitations influence how people
communicate and perceive messages contained in those posts.
In the context of mass media, this refers to the use of technologies such as radio,
television, and the Internet to broadcast our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions
(Frederman).
IMPACT

"The medium is the message" has been cited by a number of digital humanities scholars
as being influential in their writing and work. Murray, Janet references McLuhan and his
theory multiple times in her book "Hamlet on the Holodeck". It is also cited by Bolter
and Grusin in their work on remediation. In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of
"Understanding Media" publication, the "Journal of Visual Culture" published a themed
issue dedicated to McLuhan and his work. The success of McLuhan's public persona and
medium theories propelled him to a "pop culture priesthood", including a brief cameo in
the Woody Allen film "Annie Hall" and the now-famous phrase from "Laugh-In",
"McLuhan, whatcha doing?"

CRITICAL RESPONSE

―The medium is the message‖ - as well as other ideas of McLuhan‘s have been met with
many critical responses, both positive and negative. Dwight McDonald is cited as one of
the most vocal detractors of McLuhan‘s work, calling it "impure nonsense, nonsense
adulterated by sense" and filled with ―contradictions, non-sequiturs, facts that are
distorted and facts that are not facts, exaggerations, and chronic rhetorical vagueness‖.
Other responses to McLuhan‘s ―the medium is the message‖ and other ideas put forth by
the surrounding text by saying McLuhan too loosely defines ―medium‖, and confusing
various channels of communication that are on differing levels of technology.

MEDIA 'Extensions of Man'

 Technologies each of which extends a particular human sense or faculty.

 The real message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or
pattern that it introduces into human affairs.

 The true significance of any medium is to be found in the overall impact of the
generalized employment of that technological system.

FOCUS

 McLuhan drew attention to the effects of moving from primarily oral

communication to written communication.
 He was focused in how we perceive the environment rather than what we perceive
(content)

Each new medium pushes the bounds of experience set by previous media and adds to
new developments.
 HOT vs COOL MEDIA

Hot Media completely engage one sense (with little interaction from the user) –
experiencing the world through reading printed text is isolating and uninvolved
(encouraging the rational, individual behavior)
Radio and film are also included; they engage one of the user's senses to such an extent
that, while the user's attention is focused on the content, their participation is minimal.

Cool Media engages several senses less completely because it necessitates a .high level
of interaction on the part of the audience.
Viewing television is involving; more of our senses are involved in the process of
meaning-making (phone conversations, comic books are cool media too)

Building on Medium Theory

 The predominant medium at given time will shape behavior and thought.
 As media change, so do the ways in which we think, manage information, and
relate to one another.
 Sharp differences among oral, written, and electronic media, each with different
effects in terms of how we interact with each medium.

OVERALL

 Communication technology is fundamental to society.

 Each technology has a bias to particular communication forms, contents and uses.
 The sequence of invention and application of communication technology
influences social change.
 Communication revolutions lead to social revolutions.
 Communication is not only for conversing or for getting your ideas published, but
it is so powerful that it is capable of shaping society. Once a message has been
clearly stated, people can agree or disagree with the message. The content of the
message is one thing, but the medium is no less important.

B. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY

The sociologists Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann published Treatise on the
Sociology of knowledge in 1966. Berger and Luckmann provide a hypothesis to explain
how subjective meaning becomes a social actuality. However as Berger and Luckmann
demonstrate, what man sees as realities are socially constructed by humans and can
therefore be changed. We all play different roles throughout our lives, and our social
interactions are influenced. Like, how we describe society has an impact on how society
is. Our upbringing and the beliefs we were taught have an impact on how we present
 ourselves, how we present ourselves, how we view others, and how other perceive us. To
put it another way, our beliefs and backgrounds influence how we perceive reality.

The Construction of Reality is based on

INTERACTION INSTITUTIONALISM

Each other's actions are Meaning is embedded in society

represented by symbols and as a result of this
mental representative. institutionalization process.

The use of symbols and interactions that drive our thinking and behaviors create reality.
Humans shape and are shaped by the worlds they create at the same time.

AUTHORS

 PETER L. BERGER
Was an University Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, at Boston University. Written
numerous books om sociological theories.
 THOMAS LUCKMANN
A prominent sociologist specialized in socilogy of communication of knowledge and of
religion.
These two were a school colleague and best known for the collaborative work for the
their book.

CONCEPTS OF THE BOOK

It is theory of how the concept and ideas about world become habitualized and
institutionalized over time by people or group interacting in a social system.
Meaning is infused into society as a result of this process. Knowledge and people's
perceptions (and beliefs) of what reality is have become ingrained in society's
institutional fabric. As a result, reality is said to be constructed socially.
The theory is divided into three parts:

1. The foundation of knowledge in everyday life

Reality is described as a sense associated with phenomena that we identify as existing
independently of our own volition, whereas knowledge is explained as the certitude that
phenomena exist and that they have particular characteristics. For societies, knowledge is
the accumulated and passed on view of reality.

2. Society as Objective Reality

A person or a group is not restricted to a specific physical environment. They have
unspecialized and undirected drives that can be applied to a diverse set of objects. It is
argued that every individual is born into a world in which some have strong sense of what
reality is - a sense that they have learned from their parents, teachers, and so on. There
are shared definitions of reality and established patterns of behavior that become accepted
as "reality."

3. Society as Subjective Reality

This section is about the internalization process. Internalization of reality, it is argued,
entails primary socialization, secondary socialization, and the maintenance and
transformation of subjective reality. Individuals are born with a proclivity for sociality,
but they choose to become members of society. New members begin by learning about
the world. They take over the objectified subjective behavior and definitions of shared
situations of others and define them reciprocally. This becomes the new member's
objective reality. The preceding process is a description of primary socialization. It
describes the child's objective world, which he develops through the mediation of
significant others.
As a result, primary socialization can vary greatly between children. Emotional learning
is included. The child develops an identity as a result of this process. The individual
progresses from internalizing concrete roles to internalizing more generalized roles as a
result of primary socialization. The internalization of society is marked by the process of
attaining the generalized other.
Secondary socialization is the process of socializing someone who has already been
socialized. Language learning crystallizes all aspects of society's identity and reality at
the same time. The generalized other is a correlation of the externalization of internal
reality. Language is regarded as an important component of early socialization. It is
viewed as a set of life programs that provide structure for understanding life. Secondary
Socialization emphasizes detachment from identity and emotionality. The concept of
objective reality as home is extremely beneficial. Any secondary socialization process
must be directed toward that home in order to maintain and transform Subjective Reality.
It has been observed that everyday subjective reality is intertwined with marginal
situations that are difficult to categorize as objective reality.
Three steps involved in reality construction:
Externalization : Society is a human product
Objectivation : Society is an objective reality
Internalisation : Man is a social product

Berger and Luckmann stated that ―Society is a human product. Society is an objective
reality. Man is a social product.‖, they were describing the three stages of social
construction. Based on their theory, when the society is a human product it refers to
objectivation. The stage in which humans objectively created the institutions in a society.
Everything in a society is created by humans. Humans created society through their
objectivity; however, humans no longer consider institutions to be human-made. Second,
society is an objective reality is in the stage of externalization. Humans are forced to be a
part of society on a daily basis. Therefore, it becomes a reality for all— humans begin to
externalize the concept that society will always exist. Lastly, in internalization— a man is
a social product. This is the opposite ofthe externalization.

REFERENCES:
Technological or Media Determinism - Innis, H. (1999)
The medium theory- Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_theory
https://www.slideshare.net/JuliePasho/coms-2003-toronto-school
Toronto School of communication theory-Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_School_of_communication_theory
http://thetorontoschool.ca/the-toronto-school-of-communication/
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/the-medium-is-the-message/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/9781442689442
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/evolutionhumancommunication/chapter/chapter-5/
http://webservices.itcs.umich.edu/mediawiki/DigitalRhetoricCollaborative/index.php/%22Medi
um_is_the_Message%22
https://studycorgi.com/mcluhans-the-medium-is-the-message-nowadays/
https://pressbooks.howardcc.edu/soci101/chapter/social-construction-of-reality/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Construction_of_Reality
https://books.google.com.ph/books/about/The_Social_Construction_of_Reality.html?id=Jcma8
4waN3AC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&redir_esc=y
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sociology/chapter/social-constructions-of-reality/