Teletechnologies, Place, and Community
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Teletechnologies, Place, and Community
Rowan Wilken
Teletechnologies, Place, and Community
Rowan Wilken
First published 2011
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2011 Taylor & Francis
The right of Rowan Wilken to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wilken, Rowan.
Teletechnologies, place, and community / by Rowan Wilken.
p. cm. (Comedia)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Information technologySocial aspects. 2. TelematicsSocial aspects. 3. Cyberspace. 4. TelecommunicationSocial aspects.
5. Electronic villages (Computer networks) 6. Communication and technology. 7. Architecture and technology. I. Title.
HM851.W55155 2011
303.48'33dc22
2011004441
ISBN: 978-0-415-87595-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-80702-6 (ebk)
For Lazarus and Maxim and Sunday,
each of whom came at just the right time
and
For Dad, who went too soon but who always believed that he
was going home to a better place and perfect community
Figures
Acknowledgments
Many people contributed to the successful completion of this book. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the following: Bharat Dave, Isabelle dSolier, Gerard Goggin, Lisa Gye, Sandra Kaji-OGrady, Ramon Lobato, Christian McCrea, Scott McQuire, Esther Milne, Buck Clifford Rosenberg, John Sinclair, Darren Tofts, Andrew Vincent, Erica Wetter, and Geoff and Amanda Wild.
A special thank you goes to John Olsen for his meticulous reading of the manuscript (twice!), and to David Morley, who actively supported this project from the outset and who was instrumental in getting it to this point.
For their love, encouragement, and support in so many different ways, I thank my family: Shelagh Wilken, Lois Wilken, John and Shirley Olsen, and Geoff Olsen and Suzie Mitchell. Also and especially, I thank Karen Olsen for everything; you are the love of my life, and your assistance and encouragement have been invaluable.
These people, and many others, know the true significance of their support for my work. My sincere thanks go to them all.
I would also like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, in covering image reproduction costs, and the Faculty Teaching Support Fellowships Scheme at the University of Melbourne, which gave me some time away from teaching during my time there to work on the manuscript.
Parts of this book have been published elsewhere in the following journals, and these parts are reproduced here with permission. Portions of >.
Introduction
Teletechnologiesor technologies of distancecannot be ignored. The electronic age is said to have wrought profound changes to how we think about and experience who we are, where we are, and how we relate with one another. A rapidly changing and multilayered techno-social milieu has emerged, one that is characterised by complex interactions and interconnections between information and telecommunications technologies, the places in which we live, and various forms of social engagement or community.
