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Speed up or slow down? Social theory in the information age
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Gane, Nicholas (2006) Speed up or slow down? Social theory in the information age. Information, Communication & Society, Volume 9 (Number 1). pp. 20-38. doi:10.1080/13691180500519282 ISSN 1468-4462.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691180500519282
Abstract
Extreme processes of social and cultural acceleration lie at the heart of the information age but social theory, for the most part, continues to be a slow and patient affair. In view of this, this paper asks how such theory is to respond to the speed-up of social life and culture. Should it attempt to keep pace with a world that is changing faster than ever? Or is the strength of theory that it is a slow, detached and reflective form that lies outside the accelerated logic of contemporary capitalist culture? In an attempt to address such questions, this paper considers two main alternatives: first, that theory should follow the speed-up of the world by technologizing itself (as argued by Scott Lash and Peter Lunenfeld), and second, and seemingly contrary to this, that in times of cultural speed-up theory should either call for social and cultural slow-down (Marshall McLuhan, Paul Virilio), slow down itself (Jean Baudrillard), or perhaps both. In considering these alternatives, media theory (associated with the above figures) is used as a resource for questioning the focus and form of social theory today.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Information, Communication & Society | ||||
Publisher: | Routledge | ||||
ISSN: | 1468-4462 | ||||
Official Date: | 2006 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Volume 9 | ||||
Number: | Number 1 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 20-38 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1080/13691180500519282 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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