How Design of Medium Inhibits Growth

Every transistor radio is, by the nature of its construction, at the same time a potential transmitter; it can interact with other receivers by circuit reversal. The development from a mere distribution medium to a communications medium is technically not a problem. It is consciously prevented fro understandable political reasons. The technical distinction between receivers and transmitters reflects the social division of labor into producers and consumers, which in the consciousness industry becomes of particular political importance. It is based, in the last analysis on the basic contradiction between the ruling class and the ruled class--that is to say, between monopoly capital or monopolistic bureaucracy on the one hand and the dependent masses on the other.

Notes:

Radios are not just for receiving, but for broadcasting, but we don't design them that way. Corporations control our interactions with the medium.

Taxonomies:
/society (0.427695)
/art and entertainment/visual art and design/design (0.375237)
/technology and computing/consumer electronics/radios (0.279462)

Keywords:
understandable political reasons (0.901223 (negative:-0.486616)), particular political importance (0.801773 (neutral:0.000000)), monopolistic bureaucracy (0.620881 (negative:-0.508024)), transistor radio (0.606184 (neutral:0.000000)), circuit reversal (0.588743 (neutral:0.000000)), potential transmitter (0.582915 (neutral:0.000000)), mere distribution (0.567854 (neutral:0.000000)), dependent masses (0.537075 (negative:-0.508024)), basic contradiction (0.536919 (negative:-0.224561)), technical distinction (0.528692 (neutral:0.000000)), monopoly capital (0.518125 (negative:-0.508024)), ruling class (0.500491 (negative:-0.224561)), consciousness industry (0.500115 (neutral:0.000000)), communications medium (0.489927 (neutral:0.000000)), social division (0.485001 (neutral:0.000000)), receivers (0.346054 (neutral:0.000000)), fro (0.263887 (negative:-0.486616)), transmitters (0.200328 (neutral:0.000000))

Entities:
one hand:Quantity (0.010000 (neutral:0.000000))

Constituents of a Theory of the Media

Periodicals>Journal Article: Enzenberger, Hans Magnus (Nov/Dec 1970), Constituents of a Theory of the Media, New Left Review, (64) 13-36, New York, Retrieved on 2010-05-01

Source Material [newleftreview.org]

Folksonomies: new media