I\u2019m thinking that one of the reasons why things have been changing so much and so fast is immediacy. When it took several hours or even days to hear about the death of a monarch, and if people weren\u2019t hearing about it all at the same time, then it\u2019s not surprising that the reaction was not quite as concerted and overwhelming, as, say when JFK got shot or Diana died. When the population can travel long distances quickly and cheaply perhaps it\u2019s not so surprising that deaths are characterised by mass flower laying at the scene or even people lining the route along the motorway route of Diana\u2019s funeral procession \u2013 such shows of emotion could just not be achieved by a population with limited and slow transportation. Of course, we may have achieved instant news, but we are still only on the way to instant travel. We may have achieved just-in-time production, but how close are we to just-in-time market research? Whatever \u2013 immediacy is a driver of the age \u2013 and virtual reality is round the corner with instant presence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m thinking that one of the reasons why things have been changing so much and so fast is immediacy. When it took several hours or even days to hear about the death of a monarch, and if people weren\u2019t hearing … Continue reading