One-to-One and One-to-Many Dichotomy: Grand Theories, Periodization, and Historical Narratives in Communication Studies
Additional information
Authors
Balbi G.,
Kittler J.
Type
Journal Article
Year
2016
Language
English
Abstract
Besides other popular dichotomies in communication history, the one-to-one and one-to-many matrix has been very powerful in the 20th century political, economic, and social imaginary, yet it is overlooked. This article originally aimed to reconstruct a long history and periodization of eras in which one-to-one forms of communication prevailed over one-to-many and vice versa, from Ancient Greece to the digital era. Nevertheless, the evidence has shown that this grand narrative/theory was impractical and, in general, that dichotomies and periodization are often more nuanced ontological concepts than generally expected. Thus, this article turned out to be a " failed " project on the history of grand theories, but still useful for the historiography of communication, proposing a more complex framework to look at technologies as they develop over time.
Journal
The International Journal of Communication, 10
Start page number
1971
End page number
1990
