Long-distance communication and connected society
Long-distance communication and connected society
Embedded Files
Korean language
Hyungsub Choi (Professor, Department of Basic Education, Seoul National University of Science and Technology)
What technologies have we developed to communicate and connect with each other? Among 39 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center in the United States, Korea ranked first in terms of internet and smartphone penetration rates. Likewise, communication technology, including the Internet, played a major role in creating Korea, which is known as a “connected society.” In this lecture, we will compare the changes in Korean communication technology that have developed for communication and connection with the case of the United States. Also, we will examine how these changes influenced our thoughts and society. To do this, we will review a chronological examination of telegraph technology in the 19th century, the development of the telephone, and contemporary technology.The development of electricity and communication, which began in the late 19th century, known as the Second Industrial Revolution, brought various social changes. In particular, these changes made us forget the common sense that telegraphic communication has complex materiality and that there is a labor force to maintain it. The reason most telegraph users do not think of “materiality” and “labor” is that they feel that there is no friction in using communication services. However, we must not forget that the internet is ultimately a set of wires, and we must pay attention to the communication infrastructure that enables its use and the extensive labor required to maintain and repair it. Such “hidden labor” is revealed only when the normal operation of the infrastructure stops.The fire at the KT Ah-hyeon headquarter in November 2018 became a notable event that re-illuminated the materiality of the internet in Korean society. As a result of the fire, some Seoulites had to go through the inconvenience in their daily lives for several days. This incident became a stark example of how much labor and devotion must go into maintaining the internet, which we took as granted.
What technologies have we developed to communicate and connect with each other? Among 39 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center in the United States, Korea ranked first in terms of internet and smartphone penetration rates. Likewise, communication technology, including the Internet, played a major role in creating Korea, which is known as a “connected society.” In this lecture, we will compare the changes in Korean communication technology that have developed for communication and connection with the case of the United States. Also, we will examine how these changes influenced our thoughts and society. To do this, we will review a chronological examination of telegraph technology in the 19th century, the development of the telephone, and contemporary technology.The development of electricity and communication, which began in the late 19th century, known as the Second Industrial Revolution, brought various social changes. In particular, these changes made us forget the common sense that telegraphic communication has complex materiality and that there is a labor force to maintain it. The reason most telegraph users do not think of “materiality” and “labor” is that they feel that there is no friction in using communication services. However, we must not forget that the internet is ultimately a set of wires, and we must pay attention to the communication infrastructure that enables its use and the extensive labor required to maintain and repair it. Such “hidden labor” is revealed only when the normal operation of the infrastructure stops.The fire at the KT Ah-hyeon headquarter in November 2018 became a notable event that re-illuminated the materiality of the internet in Korean society. As a result of the fire, some Seoulites had to go through the inconvenience in their daily lives for several days. This incident became a stark example of how much labor and devotion must go into maintaining the internet, which we took as granted.
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