The Slide towards Decentralization: Clock and Computer

Abstract

The parallels between the diffusion of mechanical clocks and computers are quite striking. The mechanical clock migrated from Western monasteries to clock towers to our wrists and in the process contributed towards a profound transformation of our society. Today, omnipresent clocks, mechanical and electronic, allow for coordination and control essential for the functioning of a modern society. Similarly, the computer migrated from corporate basements to desk tops to hand-held devices and in the process made possible new means of coordination and control which have reconfigured social activity. In both cases, we see: (1) a ‘monumental’ (stand-alone) technology, (2) a reduction in size and a multiplication and diffusion into society (smaller stand-alone pieces), and (3) interconnection to form a web of coordination and control. On one level, this article traces the stages of technological development as outlined above. On another level, it examines socio-cultural changes that accompanied this pattern of technological change.