The reading, “Doubling of Place” (Moores, 2004) looks at the ability communicative media has to create a “doubling of place”. This concept looks at the actual event as one place and where the event is watched or heard as another. This all links into the Proxmity side of space, bringing people in closer together. Moores adresses Public Events and Disruption of routine, The internet as part of everyday life and the Two “theres” there in mobile use.
The reading looks at how electronic media, such as interenet, television and mobile phones have changed our sense of place in the world, and the way we “know our place”. It is quite common for people to become famous for their blog (for example perez hilton.com) , although the authour was not famous, he is now and has created his place in the social ranks. This can also be seen in other examples, including soical networking sites and youtube, where you can “Broadcast Yourself”.
I found this reading particularly interesting as a sense of place is something many people need, it links back to domestication (being part of the home) and also to the media routines and dailiness. Many communication companies have in their slogans the concept of bringing people closer, i.e proximity. Examples include Nokia – Connecting People and Lebara (a UK based international calling company) – Bring them closer. Social networking sites also have similar slogans, such as Facebook – A social utility that connects people, and mySpace – A place for friends. These sites allow people to be in their own cyberspace, to be in a different place while being in a physical place. The question is how far do we go? Sites such as Secondlife have proven that sometimes our sense of place gets lost, for example, marital affairs on second life ending in marriages in real life. Do users of second life see themselves as their avators or their physical person?
The last point I wish to make is that of the “doubling of place”, the medias ability of recreating events (even if they are at the same time as the event is actually occurring). The viewing of events “live” creates a sense of proximity and allows the audience to connect with other people watching the same event. In the present, it is common for people at concerts to call people at home when a band comes on to create a sense of being there at that place, video phones and video calling connect people on a different level. I remember at my High School about 100 of us crowding into a room to watch the Schappelle Corby verdict one afternoon, and events such as Melbourne Cup, where “the nation stops” to all be in the same “place”. However, everyone will tell you, “it’s not the same as being there” which is why people travel, for example the pilgrimmage to Galipoli, to find that sense of place and to have the full experience. I think that is a key failure in this reading as media simply cannot replace the physical side of place, although it does do a remarkable job in trying.
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In Reference to:
Moores, Shaun. “The Doubling of Place: Electronic Media, Time-Space Arrangements and Social Relationships.” In Couldroy, Nick. and McCarthey, Anna., Eds MediaSpace: Place, Scale and Culture in a Media Age. London: Routledge, 2004, 21-37
