 Marshall McLuhan was a colleague of Innis 's at the University of Toronto . As a young English professor , McLuhan was flattered when he learned that Innis had put his book The Mechanical Bride on the reading list of the fourth @-@ year economics course . McLuhan built on Innis 's idea that in studying the effects of communications media , technological form mattered more than content . Biographer Paul Heyer writes that Innis 's concept of the " bias " of a particular medium of communication can be seen as a " less flamboyant precursor to McLuhan 's legendary phrase ' the medium is the message . ' " Innis , for example , tried to show how printed media such as books or newspapers were " biased " toward control over space and secular power , while engraved media such as stone or clay tablets were " biased " in favour of continuity in time and metaphysical or religious knowledge . McLuhan focused on what may be called a medium 's " sensory bias " arguing , for example , that books and newspapers appealed to the rationality of the eye , while radio played to the irrationality of the ear . The differences in the Innisian and McLuhanesque approaches were summarized by the late James W. Carey : 
 Marshall McLuhan was a colleague of Innis <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>at the University of Toronto . As a young English professor , McLuhan was flattered when he learned that Innis <a href='been_done' title='2'><mark>had</mark></a> put his book The Mechanical Bride on the reading list of the fourth @-@ year economics course . McLuhan built on Innis <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'s</mark></a>idea that in studying the effects of communications media , technological form mattered more than content . Biographer Paul Heyer <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>writes</mark></a> that Innis <a href='null_genetive' title='5'><mark>'s</mark></a>concept of the " bias " of a particular medium of communication can be seen as a " less flamboyant precursor to McLuhan <a href='null_genetive' title='6'><mark>'s</mark></a>legendary phrase ' the medium is the message . ' " Innis , for example , tried to show how printed media such as books or newspapers <a href='uninflect' title='7'><mark>were</mark></a> " biased " toward control over space and secular power , while engraved media such as stone or clay tablets <a href='uninflect' title='8'><mark>were</mark></a> " biased " in favour of continuity in time and metaphysical or religious knowledge . McLuhan focused on what may be called a medium <a href='null_genetive' title='9'><mark>'s</mark></a>" sensory bias " arguing , for example , that books and newspapers appealed to the rationality of the eye , while radio played to the irrationality of the ear . The differences in the Innisian and McLuhanesque approaches <a href='uninflect' title='10'><mark>were</mark></a> summarized by the late James W. Carey : 
Marshall McLuhan was a colleague of Innis  at da University of Toronto . As a young English professor , McLuhan was flattered when he learned dat Innis done put his book TdaMechanical Bride on the reading list of the fourth @-@ year economics course . McLuhan built on Innis  idea that in studying thdaffects of communications media , technological form mattered more den content . Biographer Paul Heyer write tdatInnis  concept of thedabias " of a particular medium of communication can b seen as a " less flamboyant precursor to McLuhan  legendary phrase ' the medium is the message . ' " Innis , fir example , tried to show how printed media such as books or newspapers was " biased " toward control ova space and secular power , while engraved media such as stone or clay tablets was " biased " in favour of continuity in time and metaphysical or religious knowledge . McLuhan focused on what may bbcalled a medium  " sensory bias " beefin , for example , that books and newspapers appealed to the rationality of the eye , while radio played to the irrationality of the da . The differences in the Innisian and McLuhanesque approaches was summarized by the late James wit. Carey :