Do More, Faster: The Consequences of Accelerated Modern Life

[xchrom]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/hartmut-rosa-essay-acceleration-plagues-modern-society-a-909465.html


Faster! Faster! Even Faster! The phenomenon of acceleration is a defining characteristic of modern life. A new book by German sociologist Hartmut Rosa analyzes how it fuels a constant need for new experiences and a counterintuitive shortage of time.


This leads to a sense of alienation and often burnout and depression, Rosa says. His essay culminates with the powerful assertion that acceleration is a new abstract form of totalitarianism.

Steve Ballmer is no Steve Jobs. The CEO of Microsoft is not considered to be much of a philosopher. And yet, for the company's recent developer conference he perceptively wrapped the motto of our time into a pertinent slogan: "Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster!"

Ballmer may have been referring to the development of new products or the creation of ever faster operating systems, but acceleration has also become a universal goal in the modern world. It's more than just a technological phenomenon, argues German sociologist Hartmut Rosa, a professor at the University of Jena. His recently published essay "Beschleunigung und Entfremdung," or "Acceleration and Alienation," posits that acceleration is the core element of modernization and consequently the key concept of our age.

Rosa differentiates between mechanical acceleration, the acceleration of social change and the accelerating pace of daily life. The process of mechanical acceleration began in the 19th century in conjunction with industrialization. In terms of the time it takes to travel across the world, for example, it has effectively shrunk the size of the world to one-sixtieth of its actual size.

Keeping Our Options Open

Today, mechanical acceleration affects the digital sector in particular. But paradoxically, it also goes hand in hand with an acceleration of the pace of life. Even though mechanical acceleration, by shortening the time it takes to complete tasks, was intended to create more available time for the individual, late modern society does not enjoy the luxury of more leisure time, Rosa writes. On the contrary, individuals suffer from a constant time shortage.

[Javaman]

1. I find as I get older I do less and work slower...

and amuse myself at those who work faster and do more for reasons I can not understand.

Just remember, no one ever said on their death bed, "I wish I worked more".

You live, you die, you do stuff in between.

Enjoy that stuff in between more, you only get one chance.

And smile more.