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How Mass Communications Transformed The Temporal And Spatial Foundations Of The Social Sphere.

Whether the needs of society determine advances in communicative technology, or sophisticated technology itself is the governing force of progression and change in society is an issue of heavy debate. What is unquestionably clear is that both are interrelated & significantly influence one another. Throughout the course of history, the world has become progressively smaller, or at least more accessible, as limitations of temporal and spatial foundations have been overcome through the development of technology in mass communications. One’s physical place is no longer a concern should individuals want to contact friends and family members from across the globe, nor is time an issue as news can now travel at lightening speed, instead of the preceding pace of a galloping horse from one frontier to another. Mass communications, that is, communication that reaches the great majority of people (from the printing press to the internet, the radio to television broadcast), has revolutionised spatial and temporal foundations of the societal realm, firstly, by transforming ideas of community, by enabling contact between family and friends, and providing broader avenues for membership in new communities. Everyday life has become ‘instantaneous’, resulting in new expectations and attitudes. Finally, mass communications have influenced media rituals and formed social norms fitting to specific mediums.

In the past, communities were often defined by, or restricted to, geographic proximity, and were based on face-to-face interaction. Calling on a friend or family member in the community meant physically moving to where they were. During the early 19th century, contacting persons from across long distances involved using the fastest means of communication: the Pony Express – awaiting a postman on horseback before handing him a letter, taking weeks (even months) to reach his destination, only to wait another lengthy period before receiving a reply. The first means of communications...