Blog Post #2: Pontypool and Space-Biased Media
What I found most interesting about Pontypool is how something as normal as language becomes dangerous. Rather than spreading through physical contact, the virus spreads through spoken words. This connects to Harold Innis’s theory of space-biased media, which is based on communication technologies that allow information to travel across distances.
In the film, radio and telephones help people stay connected during the crisis, but they also provide the virus with opportunities to spread. Grant Mazzy’s broadcasts show how powerful communication can be, especially when it comes to information. I think communication always helps since the same tools that people use to inform others are also the very tools that could put them at risk.This also connects to social media today, and how misinformation can be disseminated very quickly and impact how people think or act. While misinformation is completely different from the virus in Pontypool, both show that communication can have unintended consequences.
I think it's interesting how the film makes us question something we usually take for granted. Do you think the characters would have been safer if they had stopped communicating all together or would that have made things worse?
ReplyDeleteI really liked your connection with social media. We live in a society where social media pretty much dictates a lot of what we do, and misinformation can change people's perspectives or influence their actions so quickly. I think this connects well to Pontypool because it shows how powerful communication can be and how something that seems so normal can have unintended consequences. It makes you think about how important it is to be mindful of the information we share and consume.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about how communication can have unintended consequences, especially when you connected it to misinformation on social media. I think it's interesting how something that is meant to keep people informed and connected can also become harmful depending on how it is used. In Pontypool, people rely on the radio to understand what is happening, without realizing that language itself is part of the danger. This reminds me of how we often trust information we hear online without questioning where it comes from or whether it is accurate. It makes me wonder how much responsibility people have when sharing information, especially when they don't fully understand its potential impact.
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