'Understanding Information: From the Gutenberg Galaxy to Big Data' with Gabe Elias

This Dialogic Drink will explore the Toronto School’s understanding of space/time as a heuristic for the way Big Data accelerates organizational life.

A Plea for Time!  A political economist and progenitor of the Toronto School, Harold Innis viewed communication as central to change and transformation. Innis’ theory of the ‘Bias of Communication’ (1951) describes how a bias towards sending information across space or persisting messages within time shapes socio-economic growth. Discussion will explore this dialectic of space and time within our own lived experience.

The Medium is the Message: Innis’ theory would inspire Marshall McLuhan’s understanding of the transformative potential of media. We’ll apply Mcluhan’s theory of the “Gutenberg Galaxy” to understand socio-economic transformations fueled by Big Tech. Discussion will explore the opportunities and tensions from the growth of media within modern life.

The Social Space of Big Data: Innis, McLuhan, and the Toronto School, provide a distinct view into ‘Big Data’.  As we scale from beyond the Gutenberg Galaxy into dimensions measured in Kardashev scales, this section will explore how the oil of Big Data is worked and re-worked into the gasoline that drives change: meaningful information. Discussion will explore how the information we use to fuel our daily journey also shapes the final destination.
 
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this presentation are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of his employer.

Gabe Elias biography
Gabe Elias is practicing business architecture in Toronto.