The Slide towards Decentralization
Clock and Computer
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11268632 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Harmeet Sawhney (0000-0001-9259-7817, Indiana University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 359-374 |
| Publication date | 2004-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Media Culture & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-4437 • E-ISSN: 1460-3675 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0163443704042257 |
| OpenAlex | W2126131502 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 13 |
The parallels between the diffusion of mechanical clocks and computers are quite striking. The mechanical clock migrated from Western monasteries to clock towers to our wrists and in the process contributed towards a profound transformation of our society. Today, omnipresent clocks, mechanical and electronic, allow for coordination and control essential for the functioning of a modern society. Similarly, the computer migrated from corporate basements to desk tops to hand-held devices and in the process made possible new means of coordination and control which have reconfigured social activity. In both cases, we see: (1) a ‘monumental’ (stand-alone) technology, (2) a reduction in size and a multiplication and diffusion into society (smaller stand-alone pieces), and (3) interconnection to form a web of coordination and control. On one level, this article traces the stages of technological development as outlined above. On another level, it examines socio-cultural changes that accompanied this pattern of technological change
Control (management · Decentralization · Desk · Interconnection · Operations management · Parallels · Political science · Process (computing · Social control · Social science · Sociology · Telecommunications · Computer Science · Engineering · Global Urban Networks and Dynamics · Law · Media, Communication, and Education · Artificial Intelligence
The control revolution
Imagining Tomorrow
In the age of the smart machine
Discipline and Punish
Keeping Watch
Clocks and the Cosmos
The Computerization of Society
The Twilight of Hierarchy
Discipline and Punish
Time and the Internet at the Turn of the Millennium
Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism
The Switchboard Problem
History of the Hour
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,26 |
| Citation span | 2007 - 2018 (12) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |