We never seem to have enough time to do the vital things in life, time always seems to be getting faster. This phenomena is called time-space compression or time-space distanciation.
Time–space compression occurs as a result of technological innovations including technologies of communication, travel, and economics. Theorists generally identify two historical periods in which time–space compression occurred: the period from the mid-19th century to the beginnings of the First World War, and the end of the 20th century.
An example of how this happens involves Railway Time.
150 years ago time across the UK varied, there was no mechanism or need to coordinate the villages and towns across the UK to one clock, one time.
Then came the railways.
Railway time was the name given to the standardised time arrangement first applied by the Great Western Railway in England in November 1840. This was the first recorded occasion when a number of different local times were synchronised and a single standard time applied. This concept was gradually taken up by all railway companies until they all accepted “London Time”. This was the time set at Greenwich by the Royal Observatory, known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The introduction of Railway time happened for two reasons: first, to overcome the confusion caused by not knowing what time the train was due to arrive or depart and second, to reduce the incidence of railway accidents.
The coming together of the regions under one time began the obsession with watching the clock, precision in daily tasks and the demand for punctuality. Prior to this it was enough to give a rough estimate, usually a day, of the arrival / delivery of you, your product or some service.
“I’m not sure when I’ll be with you”
“That’s fine. We’ll expect you when we see you.”
We now live in a global economy and that apparently means we have to be accessible 24/7. We carry mobiles and tablets, constantly accessing email, text and voice in order to provide an update on our status.
“I’m just on a train. Yes a train. Hello. Hello? HELLO? They’ve gone. Bloody trains!”