isn't there lag in any and every system of communication? vocality has lag, between when it is voiced and heard. Signs have lag between when it is presented and it is seen. In fact all forms of communication have lag of some sort, the question for me is not that it exists, but where the lag originates; the categories of the lag that we use to analyze it, what they are similar to, and different from. If lag comes from a an intermediate processor that is like a person pausing to think before they speak. If it comes from the network that is like voice through air. If it comes from our machine, then it is like us interpretting a new language while we are thinking of other things. There are corellates between human and machinic in the case of lag. Arguably this might be due to the time and its ontological construction. Time is the human category that we bring to the table and build into machines. Taking the machinic(technocentric) vs the humanist(usercentric) perspectives, I suspect in the end will do no significant work here. I may be wrong. The definition should be stable across systems, but the systems may change. rhus we have something where lag is present and synchronous/assynchronous might end up meaning different things in this construction. For instance, in synchronous, I assume a certain concurrent presence between every person and their interface based on proximity to that machine and the apparent immediacy of response, like irc. Assynchronous assumes that there need not be a proximal or immediate concurrent presence between every person and the interface. Denise Carter wrote:
Sure, but one can concede that users can socially construct systems such
as
instant messaging as synchronous. It is an issue of whether we're using technocentric definitions of systems or usercentric definitions of them.
Joao PhD Student MIT / Sloan
i agree with you joao, denise
D.M.CARTER DOCTORAL STUDENT CASS UNIVERSITY OF HULL EMAIL: d.m.carter@cas.hull.ac.uk OR: denisecarter@denisecarter.net
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