Substrate

Substrate ˈrɛkɔːd (n.)
1. The medium, not the message. An underlying substance or layer. The material on or from which an organism lives, grows or obtains its nourishment. 2. A material which provides the surface on which something is deposited or inscribed. A waxen tablet, a punched card, a magnetic disc.

The Jolly Contrarian’s Dictionary The snippy guide to financial services lingo.™ →Go uptown Index — Click ᐅ to expand: Dictionary Tell me more Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

Once upon a time the distinction between information and the substrate on which that information was conveyed was not apparent. The information in a letter, book, or newspaper was indistinguishable from the tangible paper on which it was printed.

But now.

(Sub-thread: is physically printed material “tangible” information? Or just a tangible substrate in which information is embedded?)

See also

• Tangible