Towards a culture of non-simultaneity?

Journal article | Zeitschriftenartikel

"There are three different concepts and analytical aspects of social time in contemporary western societies that are referred to in this article: (1) the different tempos of social processes and (2) the varying time horizons of 'socially expected durations' (Merton, 1986). It is argued that due to spatial, technological and socio-economic changes a third, more fundamental evolution of temporality is emerging: (3) an increasing simultaneity of events in our 'world at reach' (Schutz and Luckmann, 1983). The different tempos and time-scopes being causes and effects of this phenomenal simultaneity. An increase in simultaneity necessarily provokes an increase in non-simultaneity. 'Classical' mechanisms of temporal ordering of non-simultaneous events are sequencing and linear processing. It is claimed, that these mechanisms, typical of industrial modernity, are complemented by efforts and exigencies of coping with complexity in a simultaneous mode. It is assumed that the abilities of actors and social systems of parallel and simultaneous processing are enhanced but after all remain limited. Therefore, a growing realm of non-simultaneity remains open to meaningful interpretation. This is what significance an emerging culture of nonsimultaneity has." (author's abstract)

Object Details

• Extent: Seite(n): 5-26
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Postprint; begutachtet

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Time & Society, 13(1)

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Soziologie, Anthropologie ; Allgemeine Soziologie, Makrosoziologie, spezielle Theorien und Schulen, Entwicklung und Geschichte der Soziologie ; Zeit ; sozialer Prozess ; soziales System

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Brose, Hanns-Georg
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Vereinigtes Königreich
• (when): 2004

Further information

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X04040740
• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-131720
• Rights: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Bibliothek Köln
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:26 PM CEST