Virilio

"Terminal – and final – sedentarization; a practical consequence of the emergence of a third and final horizon of indirect visibility (after the apparent and deep horizon): a transapparent horizon spawned by telecommunications, that opens up the incredible possibility of a ‘civilization of forgetting’, a live (live-coverage) society that has no future and no past, since it has no extension and no duration, a society intensely present here and there at once – in otherwords, telepresent to the whole world" (25). This idea of technology allowing us to be everywhere at once and basically no where at the same time is a concept to ponder. As technology has progressed, the technology has allowed us to do what we do in real life.

Telephones= talk to each other like we would face-to-face.

Television= watch events like we would if we were present.

Internet= ability to communicate in a variety of ways that simulate face-t0-face communication. i.e. Skype

Instead of viewing these technologies as imitations of simulations, they should be seen as part of real life and allow for greater communication in situations where face-to-face communication is not possible.

Virilio discusses the idea of using technology to facilitate communicate but in the extreme, "Once more we are seeing a reversal in trends: where the motorization of transport and information once caused a general mobilization of populations, swept up into the exodus of work and then of leisure, instantaneous transmission tools cause the reverse: a growing inertia; television and especially remote control action no longer requiring people to be mobile, but merely to be mobile on the spot" (20).

Cellphones and iPhones now allow for people to communicate in a variety of ways using one device from anywhere. Does communicating primarily from technology cause "a growing inertia" or the ability to accomplish more from anywhere? I feel like I bring up the idea of technological determinism a lot but I feel like this discussion goes back to the question- Does society shape technology or does technology shape society?