Electronic Age

  

                                                           

                                                               Electronic Age

In The Electronic Age – The Age of Implosion, McLuhan discusses the idea that the explosion of the electronic age has actually created an implosion of our models of perception. This is to say that we are now ever-more aware of individuals at much greater distances than we once were. “All men are now involved in one another physically and psychically as happens when they occupy a very small village. And as global villagers, all men must now accommodate their judgments to the complex interdependence understood and manipulated by villagers”

As I’ve noted previously (again an epiphany far from original to me), McLuhan’s insight is far more relevant today than it was at the time he wrote this essay (1962). In the 1960s, one could read newspapers, hear radio broadcasts, or watch television footage of events and individuals in other parts of the world or even interact with individuals over the telephone. However, this pales in comparison to the direct, egalitarian, interactive features that the internet offers us. One can create his or other own website, video blog, etc. for the masses, or have one-to-one video conversations, either in real time or asynchronously, with individuals around the world. Therefore, to the extent that I can be aware of, interact with, and accommodate my judgments and perceptions of people around the world, we are currently more “global villagers” than ever before.

This is to say that we can communicate with online individuals at any distance without even leaving our homes. We form various communities that assist us in socializing, working through personal or professional issues, discussing our religious and spiritual beliefs, etc. While this may not have the FtF synchronicity and serendipity of a literal village (performing tasks and walking together, etc.), many conversational tangents occur. When such communication is conducted through the OVC, one can both see and hear the individual(s) with whom he or she is speaking. The essence of my research is to determine the extent to which this situation presents a level of social presence (awareness of the conversation participants) higher than other distance communication methods and how it is perceived in ratio to FtF communication.