1. Introduction:
The role of the new media in the contemporary society is very important, and the comprehensive touch of the Internet and mobile telephone connection on the human lives is seen in nearly every aspect of their lives (Bennett).
There have been many historical preconditions that formed a favorable basis for the modern influence of new media (Briggs and Burke), and they can be considered and analyzed in a variety of ways. Some of the points are the theory of the profound impact of media on the social shifts in the course of history, the other one is the analysis of milestones of the mass communication history, the introduction of the ‘monopoly of knowledge’ theory of Harold Innis (Carey).
2. It is necessary to review the ‘monopoly of knowledge’ theory and its relevance to the present trends observed in the situation of new media usage there are a huge number of preconditions for the actualization of the present theory, and the interrelation between time and space discussed by Burke, the monopolization of practically unlimited access to all sorts of data may be seen in the contemporary media utilization modes.
The theory of Innis and Watson is highly relevant for the discussion of the basic assumptions of the ‘monopoly of knowledge’ – the space-time biases, their interaction etc. One should also pay proper attention to the fact that the theory of Innis states the monopoly of knowledge in the Internet is fabricated and exists only due to the practically unlimited access to information – the present approach is fruitful for discussion as well, and can give a set of deeper insights into the issue.
Technical and institutional approaches to the analysis of Innis’ ideas proposed by Frost may open new ways and angles for considering the present topic.
3. The ‘monopoly of knowledge’ theory of Innis can become a reality, as new media such as the Internet have a variety of tools at their disposal to allow the ‘monopoly of knowledge’ to come about. McLuhan’s book offers an original insight into the topic and refers the reader to the social origin and close ties of media with the public consciousness, the change of self-perception a medium may impose on people, change in behavior and attitudes.
Rossides also states that the role of media in the establishment of social power is great, and there are strong links between the new media and psychological, social, and economic changes imposed on the society consuming the information provided in the media, which is often far from conducting a democratic process.
Finally, the realm of textual and analytical strategies applied in the media for the sake of monopolizing the Internet space (rhetoric, poetics, erotics) discussed by Silverstone shows that the monopolization process is the matter of current times.
4. The deception of consumer choice is an additional tool in the establishment of ‘monopoly of knowledge’ by the new media. The destructive effect of the monopolization of knowledge by the Internet media is obvious and visible in many fashionable trends in Internet consumption nowadays. Cyberspace addiction and networking are widespread as a mistakenly effective way to release from the constraints of the real world (Freenberg).
The new media are highly manipulative, as they possess the unlimited ability to affect the human cognition and perception – information war and information bomb are enacted by the media; the fact that media technologies were used to affect public consciousness and formulated some important ethical standpoints is proven by multiple sources (Virilio). Finally, Frost recognized the isolative and decentralizing character of new media, namely the Internet.
5. Conclusion
There is much evidence of ‘monopoly of knowledge’ coming about by means of Internet access proliferation – the direct connection between major social, economic, and cultural changes with the media intervention (Silverstone).
The new geography of consumption is based on the interactivity of media tools, and it gives the illusion of uniqueness brought by the whole world present in the room of one individual due to Internet usage (Silverstone). The media have always shaped the perception, behavior, and attitude of masses, and now the new media have approached the new stage of the human mind’s manipulations (Briggs and Burke).
References
Bennett, W. Lance. “New Media Power: The Internet and Global Activism”. Contesting Media Power. Ed. Couldry, Nick and James Curran. Lanham, MA: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003. Print.
Briggs, Asa and Peter Burke. Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2009. Print.
Carey, James. “Harold Adams Innis and Marshall McLuhan”. The Antioch Review Spring 1967: 5-39. Print.
Freenberg, Andrew. Community in the Digital Age: Philosophy and Practice. Lanham, MA: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004. Print.
Frost, Catherine. “How Prometheus Is Bound: Applying the Innis Method of Communications Analysis to the Internet”. Canadian Journal of Communication 2003. Web.
Innis, Harold and Alexander John Watson. Empire and Communications. Tonawanda: Dundurn Press, 2007. Print.
McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.
Rossides, Daniel. Communication, Media, and American Society: A Critical Introduction. Lanham, MA: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003. Print.
Silverstone, Roger. Why Study the Media? Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 1999. Print.
Virilio, Paul. The Information Bomb: Radical Thinkers. New York: Verso, 2005. Print.