Megamachines and Their Discontents

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Abstract

Even the most radical innovations usually build on considerably older lines of development. In this essay it is argued that the rise of the Information Revolution contains interesting elements that can probably only be properly understood if we keep the long-term in mind. Applying Lewis Mumford’s concept of Megamachines the article shows that the Digital Society is partly based on a number of elements which have been developing over a timespan of roughly 4000 years, including large-scale co-ordinated operations, with disciplined modularization and synchronization. Such Megamachines faced many forms of resistance, the most famous of which became machine-breaking (Luddism). Resistance to aspects of the Digital Revolution also emerged, but it has nowhere taken on a general character.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-14
JournalDigital Society
Volume3
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

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