The Sociology Of Speed: Digital, Organizational, And Social Temporalities University Press Scholarship Online

There is a widespread perception that life is faster than it used to be. We hear constant laments that we live too fast, that time is scarce, and that the pace of everyday life is spiraling out of our control. The iconic image that abounds is that of the frenetic, technologically tethered, iPhone/iPad-addicted citizen. Yet weren't modern machines supposed to save, and thereby free up, time? The purpose of this book is to bring a much-needed sociological perspective to bear on speed: it examines how speed and acceleration came to signify the zeitgeist, and explores the political implications of this. Among the major questions addressed are: when did acceleration become the primary rationale for technological innovation and the key measure of social progress? Is acceleration occurring across all sectors of society and all aspects of life, or are some groups able to mobilise speed as a resource while others are marginalised and excluded? Does the growing centrality of technological mediations (of both information and communication) produce slower as well as faster times, waiting as well as 'busyness', stasis as well as mobility? To what extent is the contemporary imperative of speed as much a cultural artefact as a material one? To make sense of everyday life in the twenty-first century, we must begin by interrogating the social dynamics of speed. This book shows how time is a collective accomplishment, and that temporality is experienced very differently by diverse groups of people, especially between the affluent and those who service them--from publisher's website There Is Widespread Perception That Life Is Faster Than It Used To Be. This Work Argues That Popular And Scholarly Claims About Acceleration Gloss Over The Complex Relationship Of Technology, Speed And Time. Introduction: The Powerful Are Fast, The Powerless Are Slow, P.1 / Judy Wajcman And Nigel Dodd -- Part I. Theories -- 1. Simmel And Benjamin: Early Theorists Of The Acceleration Society, P.13 / Nigel Dodd And Judy Wajcman -- 2. De-synchronization, Dynamic Stabilization, Dispositional Squeeze: The Problem Of Temporal Mismatch, P.25 / Hartmut Rosa -- 3. Accelerating To The Future, P.42 / John Urry -- Part Ii. Materialities -- 4. Capital's Geodesic: Chicago, New Jersey, And The Material Sociology Of Speed, P.55 / Donald Mackenzie -- 5. Digital Cultures Of Use And Their Infrastructures, P.72 / Saskia Sassen -- 6. A Pause In The Impatience Of Things: Notes On Formal Organization, The Bureaucratic Ethos, And Speed, P.86 / Paul Du Gay -- 7. The Athleticism Of Accomplishment: Speed In The Workplace, P.102 / Melissa Gregg -- Part Iii. Temporalities -- 8. Just Time And The Relativity Of Speed, P.117 / Harvey Moloteh -- 9. Speed Traps And The Temporal: Of Taxis, Truck Stops, And Taskrabbits, P.131 / Sarah Sharma -- 10. Bending Time To A New End: Investigating The Idea Of Temporal Entrepreneurship, P.152 / Irigrid Erickson And Melissa Mazmanian -- 11. Speed, Time, Infrastructure: Temporalities Of Breakdown, Maintenance, And Repair, P.169 / Steven T. Taekson. Edited By Judy Wajcman And Nigel Dodd. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 187-205) And Index. There is widespread perception that life is faster than it used to be. This book argues that popular and scholarly claims about acceleration gloss over the complex relationship of technology, speed and time. Rather than digital devices rushing us, our experience of always being rushed is the result of the priorities and parameters we ourselves set