Analogue Man - Engagement Without Commitment

Abstract

c. H i s t o r i c a l l y , i n n o v a t i o n s i n communication techniques have i n v o l v e d a m a n i p u l a t i o no f time and space. To draw an analogy from r e l a t i v i t y t h e o r y , assuming a number o f a l t e r n a t i v e time t r a c k s a r e l a i d o u t l i k e p a r a l l e l r a i l r o a d t r a c k s , t e c h n o l o g i c a l i n n o v a t i o n s i n communication have made i t p o s s i b l e t o move from one t r a c k t o another. Although t h e n a t u r e o f ideas, t h e substance o f c o m u n i c a t i o n does n o t change, t h e means by which, and t h e speed w i t h which these ideas can be conveyed, stored, r e t r i e ved, and disseminated, and t h e number o f people t o whom t h e ideas a r e a c c e s s i b l e has changed d r a m a t i c a l l y . The i n v e n t i o n o f w r i t i n g enabled man t o add new dimensions t o time and space, d imensions n o t a c c e s s i b l e t o p r e l i t e r a t e man, t o l i s t e n t o those l o n g s i n c e dead and t o speak t o those n o t y e t born. As S c h r a n noted: Along the p a t h o f h i s t o r y , u p the l o n g i n c l i n e , perhaps t h o u s a n d s o f y e a r s beyong t h e b e g i n n i n g s o f l a n g u a g e , l a y a n o t h e r landmark: w r i t i n g . Having l e a r n e d t o s e p a r a t e sounds from their r e f e r e n t s , man now l e a r n e d t o s e p a r a t e t h e m f r o m the s p e a k e r a s w e l l and s u b s e q u e n t l y made t h e m e v e n more p o r t a b l e . . .As l a n g u a g e a r o s e from t h e need t o a b s t r a c t upon e v e n t s and e x p e r i e n c e , s o m u s t w r i t i n g h a v e come from the need t o a b s t r a c t upon p i c t u r e s and t o make word-signs l a s t l o n g e r than the f l e e t i n g second d u r i n g w h i c h t h e y c o u l d be h e a r d . 'The i n t r o d u c t i o n o f t h e t e l e g r a p h represented what has been termed a "quantum jump" i n t h e speed o f i n t e r p e r s o n a l t r a n s a c t i o n , and t h e telephone had an even more s i g n i fi c a n t impact on t h e space-time r e 1 a t i o n s h i p o f people : " T h e r e i s a d i f f e r e n c e o f some t w e n t y s e c o n d s b e t w e e n a f r i e n d i n Vancouver and a n e i g h b o r i n M o n t r e a l . To many p e o p l e this t i m e d i f f e r e n c e i s i n s i g n i f i c a n t , and t h e s p a c e d i f f e r e n c e d o e s n o t r e p r e s e n t a barrier.^'^Latham concludes t h a t t h e phenomenon o f t h e telephone has l e d many people t o t h i n k o f t h e w o r l d as "a s p a t i a l --u n r e l a t e d t o t h e f a c t o r o f d i~t a n c e . "~ Researchers a t t h e I n s t i t u t e o f t h e F u t u r e i n C a l i f o r n i a b e l i e v e t h a t computer conferencing creates an d l t e r e d S t a t e " a l t e r e d c o m u n i c a t i o n s t a t e " by e n a b l i n g people t o escape t h e normal bounds o f time E n a b l e s Escape and space. V a l l e e , Johansen, and Spangler observe...