The Influence of Technical Arrangements: the Technification Process and its Stages

Broadly speaking, technification implies a gradual restructuration of human functions by technology (Akos Paulinyi, 1980) or a reorganization of various areas: perceptio communication, text p

und mit den Rundfunkmedien eine neue Entwicklung begonnen hat, die auf der Basis der Elektrizität ansetzt.“58

ilar way, Martin Rost focused on the technification of communication as a result of ge of computer technology in text processing:

In a sim the usa

one hand, he maintained that the main drawback of the nthropological approach is the lack of sufficient social analysis. On the other hand,

Trying stages result o

Schema der Wahrnehmens oder Operierens von anderen Haltungen and Handlungsweisen”

"Technisierung bedeutet, daß Dokumente durch quasi-autonome, also automatisch operierende Text- und Kommunikationsmaschinen bearbeitet werden. Klassische Textverarbeitungen werden bislang primär als eine bequeme Layout-Hilfe eingesetzt." (Rost, 2002, online citation)

At a higher level of generalization, technification touches the basis of the relation between human subjects and technology. In his study, Technik aus soziologischer Perspektive (1993), Werner Rammert conducted an in-depth analysis of the main theoretical positions in this field and criticized both anthropological and sociological approaches of the media theory to technification. One the

a

Luhmann’s sociological theory (1975) 59 leaves no place for technical materiality60 Technification means:

“Schematisierung von Sinnverarbeitenden Prozessen, um sequentielles Operieren und Neukombinieren von Schemata zu komplexen Gebilden zu ermöglichen. Die Entwicklung binärer Schematismen, wie reich/arm, wahr/unwahr, und die Herausbildung symbolischer generalisierten Medien, wie Geld, Wahrheit sind die Stationen dieser Technisierung der Kommunikation.” (Luhmann quoted in Rammert, 1993, p. 304).

to conciliate the two divergent poles, Rammert supported the existence of several in technification. Technology, as it is used in society and in everyday life represents the

f a multistadial selection. In the first stage, technification could be defined as: “ein (Rammert, 1993, p.304). The daily life communication is an important provider of “Techniserungsschemata, die in den Pool der technischen Möglichkeiten angehen“(Rammert, 1993, p 307). In the second stage, there appears a selection between various media, in which technification takes form (Rammert, 1993, p. 306). Particularly useful in this stage is the anthropological approach of media theory preoccupied with the relation between human senses and technology.

Related to the technicised mobile communication, attempts to enhance the human communication through apparatuses have begun long ago in history. 61 Although the telegraph

58

cf. Hickethier, Prof. Dr. Knut', Das Wunder der Technik' - die Technisierung von Zeit und Raum im Rundfunk http://www.rrz.uni-hamburg.de/GfM/abstracts.html (22 April, 2002).

59

As Leydesdorff emphasized, Luhman’s sociological theory of communication bridged the gap between symbolic interactionists and Parsonian system’s theoreticians through considering the core concept of the symbolic interactionism; the interactive construction of the social meaning, as the unit of operation of social systems. In Luhman’s view, the analysis of the social structure should not be based on the aggregate of actions, but on the interactions between them (Leydesdorff, 2000, online citation).

60

”Immerhin weist er ...daß die symbolisch generalisierten Medien die technischen Medien voraussetzen würden” (Rammert, 1993, p. 305).

61

As Kittler said, „Self-evidently there must always have been technical media, because any sending of signals using acoustic or visual means is in itself technical. However in preindustrial times channels such as smoke signals or fire telegraphy, which exploited the speed of light, or bush telegraphs and calling chains making use of the speed of sound, were only subsystems of an everyday language. The beacon signal from Troy to Mycenae

as one of the first worldwide technical communication media could not be regarded as a true technification of an acoustical medium yet, as Michael Giesecke outlined, “mit ihm werden zum ersten Mal elektrische Schwingungen systematisch für eine Nachrichtenübermittlung genutzt“. (Giesecke, 2002, p.1) The telegraph represented thus a „Vorstufe“(preliminary stage) for the telephone - the real technification of acoustical media:

“Während es beim Telegraphen darum ging, taktile Bewegungen, vorzugweise das Drücken der Morsetasten mit dem Finger, in elektrische Impulse zu übersetzen, zielt das Telefon tatsächlich auf eine analoge Codierung der menschlichen Stimme, also von akustischen Wellen ab”(Giesecke, 2002, p.1).

t his turn, Rammert (1993) considered that, in the genesis of the phone technology, the first A

stage (beginning with the patent of the telephone in 1876) corresponded to the nature of scientists’ ideal of life simulation through artificial organ construction. The main objective of these inventors was to develop ideas and devices that would simulate human hearing and speaking (Rammert, 1993, p 233-235). The first significant try belongs to Phillip Reis, who succeeded in 1860 in creating an artificial ear. Technification of writing in mobile telephony occurs with the introduction of text messaging (SMS, e-mail). The classical writing, itself a technification of human thought and reflection, uses specific devices, which have important effects on the style and appearance of the end product. In SMS, a fast typing requires dexterity and high motivation to communicate something. Many users prefer not to use this service because they find the mechanical act annoying, the screen too small, and the letter selection too complicated. Many improvements have already been made, but there is still place for improvement. The fast typing is encountered not only in SMS, but also in the Internet chatting and messaging. However, while e-mails are somehow similar to letters in terms of reaction delay, in chat and instant messaging, communication is carried out in real time. In 3G cell phones, another human sense is to be technically structured: the seeing. New forms of image communication (MMS-transmission of context photos) have recently been developed in mobile phones, and their potential to overcome some of the former drawbacks of mediated communication (particularly the lack of social visual cues) is important. They try to substitute the eye in capturing and transmitting context-dependent shots and photos – a promising feature for a less stereotypical, richer communication. The MMS works much the same way as SMS messages, but allows users to combine audio-; graphic-; text- and imaging content in one message. Once the user has selected a picture, written a text, and/or included an audio clip, a multimedia message can be sent directly to another multimedia messaging capable terminal, as well as to the recipient's email address. The graphical user interface and joystick with 5-way navigation add ease and speed to the use of this new device.

is amazing how many senses mobile communication technology involves and changes. It

However, the structuration of human hearing and visual senses and organ imitation constitutes nly a single aspect of the technification process. What makes mobile telephony specific is e technification of the spatial and temporal behavior. Users move within cells or from cell to ell within a larger coverage area in order to communicate with one another, and in doing this, ey make use of the complex transportation and traffic dispositif, itself a technification of uman movement in the physical space. Therefore, in wireless technology usage, the complex

chnification of movement in space combines with the technification of communication to reate the two intertwined structures described before: mobile communication and ommunicative mobility. o th c th h te c c

ith which Aeschylus introduces the literary genre of tragedy announced in one single bit the fall of the besieged fortress although that depended on prior arrangement.” (Kittler, 1996, online citation)

In conclusion, in the second phase of technification of communication, information, and ovement due to mobile telephony usage, senses and actions are more and more “absorbed” nd transformed by usage. The technology complexity makes technification be

ultidimensional, as well – a combined structuring of hearing/speaking habits, text roduction and processing, information handling together with position/proxemics in ommunication; general usage patterns; localization; time planning, daily rhythms; mental

agery and many other dimensions. Each of them is technicised into one of the technology omponents, sustaining the main programs of the dispositif: mobile conversation (telephony; MS and e-mail); communicative mobility (places, movement while communicating);

formation and agenda (wireless Internet, PDA functions). As can be observed in Figure 8, ot only are communication and movement patterns technically transformed, but since the dividual, technology and society cannot be separated, the communicator and the web of ocial contacts are structured, too. With technology usage, the past face-to-face communicator

turning into the cell phone user characterized by specific socio-economical traits, lifestyles nd values. The social sphere, the number, and quality of contacts performed by the technicised" cell phone user are subjects of technification, too.

Figure 8. Technification input and output m a m p c im c S in n in s is a " Hearing/speaking

habits Telephony: Voice

transmission Organization of the

verbal discourse (dialogue)

Proxemics/Localization Mobility in space, mobile places SMS, E-mail Text production and

processing

Handling of information wireless Internet: surfing

Orientation in space and time Personal Assistant Functions technicised mobile communication technicised communicative mobility technicised information, daily agenda, etc. Untechnicised face – to-face communication Technification output : mobile telephony