Time-space compression refers to the set of processes that cause the relative distances between places (i.e., as measured in terms of travel time or cost) to contract, effectively making such places grow “closer.” The idea of a “shrinking world” is not new and, in the face of rapid advances in travel, such as the jet airplane, and communications (especially the Internet), has entered into the public geographical imagination. In geography, the topic was long an integral part of the work of those who study transportation and communications systems. In the 1970s and 1980s, Marxists, led by David Harvey, recast the process not simply as a set of technological advancements but as part of the general process of capitalist commodity production and capital accumulation, particularly the reduction in the turnover time of capital. More recently, cultural theorists, historians, and others interested in the perception of space have invoked the notion to understand the sense of disorientation that often accompanies periods of major technological change.
General Overviews
While there are relatively few works that are concerned only with time-space compression, a number of authors have offered good introductions and overviews. Dodgshon 1987, Dodgshon 1998, and Dodgshon 1999 depict the process as part of the long-term evolution of society. Allen and Hamnett 1995 has an especially useful introduction. Giddens 1984, on the theory of structuration, contains what the author labels time-space distanciation as a fundamental part of the process by which societies become differentially stretched over the earth’s surface. Kirsch 1995 ties the process to modern trends in social theory, including the perceptual dimensions of space. Gleick 1999, a short monograph aimed at a popular audience, contains numerous insightful anecdotes about how time-space compression is linked to the rhythms of everyday life. Finally, Warf 2011 presents several pedagogic strategies for teaching the subject in the classroom.
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