A “Connectivity” Revolution and the Empowered Public - Information Evolution Part 2

This is Part 2 of a 3-part series named "Information Evolution". The series explore the evolution of information technologies and the 3 stages of its existence. Read Part 1 here: Divine Information and the Unrecognized Mass - Information Evolution Part 1. Read Part 3 here: The Neo-Genesis and the Potential Popular Rule - Information Evolution Part 3.

The modern era represented an age of mechanical inventions when both the Industrial Revolution and the world wars gave rise to an explosive surge in technological development. The newly emerged mechanized information technologies brought qualitative change to that epoch. There was a substantial improvement in human beings’ capability to preserve information thanks to the invention of mass printing. Although Bi Sheng from China had already developed the technology of printing in the 11th century using movable clay characters, the technology did not become popular, possibly due to its diverse and complicated working procedures. However, centuries later, Gutenberg’s invention epitomized all the merits of previous printing techniques, and its efficiency made itself prevalent in Europe. According to documentation in 1939, Gutenberg developed a machine that is an aggregation of metal characters, a wine press, and improved ink that will adhere to the metal[7]. The printing press far outweighed orality and handwriting’s capacity to preserve information. The use of metal characters substantially elevated the efficiency of the production or reproduction of preservable texts. Moreover, the mechanical operation allowed the whole process to be more automated, which further reduced the time and effort needed to preserve the text. Consequently, the amount of preservable information skyrocketed during this era of innovation.

Simultaneously, the machine revolution also introduced to the world more advanced information-transmission technologies. It included not only communication-only technologies like the telegraph and telephone but also machines like trains and boats, which were not designed for communication yet enhanced the communication system. These technologies collectively accelerated the process of information transmission. The previous generations had to wait a limitless amount of time for their information to reach a remote community, which disincentivizes long-distance communications. The postal system that was equipped with railways and steamships canceled the worry, as they allowed information to be traveled across a greater geographical space yet in a shorter amount of time. Information is no longer confined to the locals, as transportation technologies “shorten” the distance between segregated communities. The velocity and scope of information further transcended with the birth of telecommunication. To quote Captain George Squier’s remark, “The fastest mail express, or the swiftest ocean ship, are as naught compared with the velocity of the electrical impulse which practically annihilates any terrestrial dimension[8].” The velocity of information transmission through previous transportation technologies is unparallel when compared with telecommunication. Tele-communications prompted a further improvement in coverage of the information yet with decreasing time needed and continued reduced costs[9]. In this historical episode, material improvements allowed information to travel fleetly worldwide.

The material shift in the availability of information technologies brought profound influence on the idea interaction mechanism. Popular ideas, which were isolated in the past, now are growling connected. A revolution in information technologies is a revolution in ideological interconnectivity. The changes in the interconnectedness of ideas happen through two channels: a more efficient point-to-point communication and a more prevalent point-to-multi-point transmission.

First, the faster means of transportation and communication expanded the scope of information transmission. The interaction of ideas previously remains to be conducted within a small area, causing their influence to be confined to their respective villages. Nevertheless, newly invented information-transmission technologies allowed local ideas to be delivered across more significant physical territories, and less time was needed to complete a round of point-to-point communication. The technology built “bridges” between ideas located in different communities, allowing them to be exchanged and reshaped through a mutual reconstitution process. Ideas, through the course, could be refined and perfected, allowing them to be accepted by an increasing number of individuals. Ideas broke the chain of geographical restraint, allowing its sphere of influence to be expanded toward a broader zone.

Secondly, the rise of the printing press and the maturity of paper production boosted the ability of humans to preserve their ideas. The technological change enhanced the preservability and accessibility of information. Mass printing expedited the reproduction of texts, making them more accessible to the public. The ownership of texts thus was no longer an elite’s privilege but part of popular life. The increasing volume of available texts also desanctified information since they are no longer rare beings in public. Most importantly, the public was now able to interpret information independently instead of relying on top guidance, which gave rise to a growing number of popular ideas. Before the protestant reformation, the church held the hegemonic position on the possession and reproduction of the Holy Text. The public followed the church’s interpretation of the text. Starting from 1454, the production of the Gutenberg Bible challenged the top’s absolute control over text reproduction. Mass printing allowed the public to own the classics and interpret them themselves. With different interpretations of the Holy Bible came different protestant denominations that came not from the top but from the bottom. New ideas like Lutheranism and Calvinism started to challenge the old ideas. The increasing volume of popular ideas within the system intensified the ideological interaction, making them more likely to become influential.

Moreover, mass printing facilitated the growth of the publication industries, which allowed ideas to be propagated from one source to multiple agents. Popular ideas could be preserved as printed texts and opened for public review. In 1680, Robert Filmer published “Patriarcha,” representing an endorsement of the divine rights of the king based on his interpretation of the Bible. Around 1690, John Locke published the “Two Treatises of Government,” responding to Filmer in accordance with the understanding by Locke of the Holy Text[10]. The books were the physical reincarnation of both philosophers’ ideas, and their publishment would allow society to be informed. The most acceptable ideas would gain influence and continue to be dissipated. The intellectual work of one particular individual could now be shared with other agents across the system, and the interconnectivity among ideas grew further. Ideas were constantly created, shared, recognized, accepted, and further distributed. With the increasing volume and reaction rate of ideas, popular ideas were also more likely to develop into a widely accepted norm.

With the growing volume of popular ideas and increment in their interconnectivity, the mode of state legitimation shifted to the “social contract,” in which a concession was made by the state, and both the top and the bottom were now able to influence the ideologies at the time. Empowered by the new information technology, ideas originated from the public communicated extensively. Although the ruling authorities lost the monopoly on information and ideas, their manipulation of violence and power continued to make them influential agents of the system. The state thus had impaired yet still a considerable amount of influence on societal ideas. Thus, the era was marked by the phenomenon wherein influential ideas came from both the state and the society. While popular ideas competed with themselves at the societal level, they may now also contend influence with the state to become the thriving ideology of the system. During this period, the British shifted from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy; the French shifted from an absolute monarchy to a republic; the US established a federal republic; the Chinese transitioned from a divine emperor to a people’s republic. History has announced the global turn from state sovereignty to “social contract.”