Comments on 'Media, form & content - when the medium becomes the message' by Richard T. Kaser

摘要

Dick Kaser was kind enough to share with me a pre-publication copy of his paper as a part of the dialog we have had recently (via Internet, of course!) on the impacts of electronic networks on publication and publishers. In our exchange of comments, he and I are thinking very much alike on the topic and would be inclined to say or write much the same about it, given an opportunity. There is no need to repeat those points of agreement here. I think the paper delivers the right message, especially to a publisher and information service audience. While reading the paper, I was reminded of a few thoughts, as I have expressed below. I never was fully satisfied with the "Medium is the Message" expression, even back in the 60s when it originated. Perhaps, I tried to take the words too literally. Also, I have always felt that content/substance/results were more important than process, and process seems to have gotten far too much attention in recent years in every environment.