ABSTRACT
In my introduction to this book, I made reference to an argument that time-space relations must be seen as ‘inherent’ in the constitution of social interaction (Giddens 1979). Having looked at themes of time and space in some detail, I now want to focus our attention on the study of interaction and, in particular, on issues that are raised by what John Thompson (1995) terms ‘the rise of mediated interaction’ in modern life. It will not be possible, nor would it be desirable, for us to leave behind entirely a discussion of temporal and spatial arrangements, since time, space and social interaction are inextricably linked. However, there is a shift of emphasis here, as we turn to examine ways of ‘relating to others’ (Duck 1999) in circumstances of technologically mediated communication.
