Tyranny of the Moment: Fast and Slow Time in the Information AgeThe turn of the millennium is characterized by exponential growth in everything related to communication – from the internet and email to air traffic. Tyranny of the Moment deals with some of the most perplexing paradoxes of this new information age. Who would have expected that apparently time-saving technology results in time being scarcer than ever? And has this seemingly limitless access to information led to confusion rather than enlightenment? Eriksen argues that slow time – private periods where we are able to think and correspond without interruption – is now one of the most precious resources we have. Since we are theoretically 'online' 24 hours a day, we must fight for the right to be unavailable – the right to live and think more slowly. It is not only that working hours have become longer – Eriksen also shows how the logic of this new information technology has permeated every area of our lives. Exploring phenomena such as the internet, wap telephones, multi- channel television and email, Eriksen examines this non-linear and fragmented way of communicating to reveal how it affects working conditions in the economy, changes in family life and, ultimately, personal identity. Eriksen argues that a culture lacking a sense of its past, and therefore of its future, is effectively static. Although solutions are suggested, he demonstrates that there is no easy way out. |
Contents
Information Culture Information Cult | 7 |
The Time of the Book the Clock and Money | 32 |
Speed | 49 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Tyranny of the Moment: Fast and Slow Time in the Information Age Thomas Hylland Eriksen No preview available - 2001 |
Tyranny of the Moment: Fast and Slow Time in the Information Age Thomas Hylland Eriksen No preview available - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
academic acceleration become Bourdieu CALIFORNIA/SANTA CRUZ cent century changes chapter clock complexity consumption countries couple create CRUZ The University culture decades developed e-mail economy efficiency electronic European everything example exist exponential growth fast faster flexibility fragments gaps global globalisation growing growth curves identity important industrial information age information society information technology Internet inventor of chess journalism kind of society less linear live major Manuel Castells Microsoft million minutes mobile phone modern never newspaper Norway one's organisation Oslo particular Paul Virilio personal computers political possible principle production programme progressive rock published readers reason revolution seconds side-effects slow SMS messages space speed stacking telephone things tion traffic tyranny unintended consequences University Library UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA/SANTA users Virilio waiting word processor words World Wide Web writing