Information Technologies and Social OrdersThe history of human society, as Carl Couch recounts it in his speculative final book, is a history of successive, sometimes overlapping information technologies used to process the varied symbolic representations that inform particular social contexts. Couch departs from earlier "media" theorists who ignored these contexts in order to concentrate on the technologies themselves. Here, instead, he adopts a consistent theory of interpersonal and intergroup relations to depict the essential interface between the technologies and the social contexts. He emphasizes the dynamic and formative capacities of such technologies, and places them within the major institutional relations of societies of any size. Social orders are viewed in these pages as inherently and reflexively shaped by the information technologies that participants in the institutions use to carry out their work. The manuscript was nearly complete in draft at the time of Couch's death. He has left a bold, synthetic statement, reclaiming the common ground of sociology and communication studies and articulating the indispensability of each for the other. With admirable scope, across historical epochs and cultures, he shows in detail the transformative power of information technologies. While the author hopes that a humane vision comes with each technological advance, he nonetheless describes the numerous instances of mass brutality and oppression that have resulted from the oligarchic control of those technologies. Couch's theory and substantive analysis speak directly to the interests of historians, sociologists, and communication scholars. |
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accounts acquire actions activity adornments ancient ancient Egypt assessments audiences authorities became become began broadcast media bureaucratic structures celestial century charismatic relationship China Chinese citizens civilizations commercial newspapers communication complex computerized computers configurations constructed Couch definitions of reality depictions dissemination early edited Egyptians electronic elite emerged entertainment established Europe evocative symbols example faculty formulated Greeks Heliopolis human Inca information preserved information technologies invented knowledge centers legislature-centered literacy literate lunar calendar markets Mesopotamia monopolies of knowledge monuments motion pictures nations networks numeric concepts offered officials oral compositions oral specialists oral technologies organizations palace palace-centered person phonetic writing pictographic poems postal systems preserve information printers printing press procedures produced published quantitative information recordings referential symbols representative democracy scholars social relationships social structures sounds and sights spatial concepts Sumerians telecommunication telecommunication networks telematics telephone television temple timekeeping transformed transmitted United University Press visual written languages