User:Mike3333
Paul Virilio is a culteral theorist and urbanist, he is best known for his writing in technology and its relation to speed and power. Dromology (derived from the suffix drome, referring to running or a racecourse) or a focal concern with the crucial importance of speed. (Ritzer,2007,2003) Paul Virilio first introduced the term "dromology", which presents a case for retheorizing visual culture, by establishing conceptual links between visuality, dromology and time compression. He establishes the mutually constitutive relationships between visuality and the Western cultural imperative to compress the transmission time delay of visualizing technologies. Dromology is important when considering the structuring of society in relation to warfare and modern media. He notes that the speed at which something happens may change its essential nature, and that which moves with speed quickly comes to dominate that which is slower. Virilio is concerned with the breakdown of boundaries brought about by a series of technological changes over in modes of transportation, communication, telecommunication, computerization, and so forth. The early forms of these changes led to changes in spatial arrangements and the breakdown in physical boundaries. As a result distinctions between here and there no longer matter. It makes little or no difference whether one lives in the city, the suburbs, or a rural area. (Ritzer,2007,2003)
Virilio is more interested of time than space because time is more important than space in a postmodern society. Time-space compression which in terms means to accelerate time and reduce distance in any given moment. "Whoever controls the territory possesses it. Possession of territory is not primarily about laws and contracts, but first and foremost a matter of movement and circulation". (Bartram.2004) Virilio argues that increasing speeds take away spatial dimensions from their rate of transmission, space and speed of communication of knowledge and information has created a world of images and appearances. More and more we are unable to tell where we are, what time it is, or what we are suppose to do. As a result we are face with a crisis of conceptualization and representation. We have become a highly unstable world. We are less and less likely to observe things directly rather we sense things indirectly through mediating technologies like mass media. Virilio’s view is we are faced with a crisis of intelligibility. (Armitage.1999) Technologies such as the movie camera and televisions make it far more difficult for us to truly understand what we are seeing, in part because what we are seeing is filtered through the eyes of camera person and the camera. The spatial and temporal lines between us and these media tend to erode; there are no perceptible limits here, no clear line where television image ends and we begin. With the coming of computers this is an increasing problem at home and on the job. Wars are now fought and mediated through technology rather than standing armies. Medical technologies are colonizing our human bodies, bringing our bodily functions up to speed with the rest of society. The implication of these new technologies is that we face the possibility of being controlled not only from the outside, but also from the inside. (Ritzer.2007,2003)
Another theme in Virilios work is war, the changes discussed here and in the changing nature of war. When one is concerned with technical issues, war is the best model. As the rest of society, speed leads to the destruction of time for reflection. In the short time that it takes a military officer to launch his weapons, it makes it impossible him to think about his actions. (Ritzer.2007,2003) For example, the launching of enemy missiles leads to retaliatory weapons. This is similar to a fleet in being, when talking about navel warfare these are actions that take little or no effort. (Kellner.1999)Endocolonization, which means in terms that technology is being used to colonize the human body. He explores a new role of how instead of colonizing the world, technology is being used to colonize our bodies. We have now moved from mass communication to interactive digital media, which Virilio talks about virtual reality.(Kellner.1999)
Dromology is a phenomenon that we experience everyday and have become oblivious to; Virilios work has broaden our minds and made it easier to understand the concept Dromology. ‘Dromos’ from the Greek word to race, Meaning the 'science (or logic) of speed'. Dromology is important when considering the structuring of society in relation to warfare and modern media. Only a few of Virilios idea are here, but he has produced a very intereting variant on French postmodern social theory.
REFERENCES
[edit]°Ritzer.George (2007,2003). Contemporary Sociological Theory and It's Classical Roots "Dromology". New York, NY
°Bartram.Rob (2004). Visuality, Dromology and Time Compression: "Paul Virilios New Ocularcentrism" Dept Geography, U Sheffield
°Armitage.John (1999). Paul Virilio: "An Introduction" UK.
°Kellner. Douglas (1999). Virlio, War and Technology: "Some Critical Reflections" California, Los Angeles
°Virilio.Paul (1999). From Modernism to Hypermodernism and Beyond: "An Interview with Paul Virilio"
EXTERNAL LINKS
[edit]http://online.sfsu.edu/~rpurser/revised/pages/DROMOLOGY.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Virilio