Revitalizing Easternand Western Online Communication: A Micro-Meso-MacroLink of Temporal Digital Change

Abstract

This paper explains in a de-westernized sense (Gunaratne 2010) how internet-mediated communication changes the way we deal with and plan time both individually and culturally in Germany and China. Therefore, it blends Western and Eastern culture and media theories. The paper focuses on two distinct phenomena: temporal change due to social media, and Online journalism, as the core of Internet-mediated communication (for Germany 39% communication, media use 24% Projektgruppe ARD/ZDF-Multimedia, 2016; for China 90.7% instant messaging, 82% Internet news China Internet Network Information Center 2017), with other temporal change via smart devices touched upon (Ash 2018). General research on time in post modern societies, recently more focused on media’s temporal change phenomena (e.g. Barker 2012; Barker 2018; Castells 2010; Eriksen 2001; Hartmann 2016; Hassan 2003; Innis 2004; Neverla 2010a, 2010b; Nowotny 1995; Rantanen 2005; Wajcman 2010; Wajcman and Dodd) has not yet linked the different societal and cultural levels of temporal change. Thus, we suggest the following to fill this research gap: For a micro perspective the notions of network theories (e.g. Granovetter 1973; Schönhut, 2013), media synchronicity (Dennis, Fuller, and Valacich 2008) and the idea of permanent connectivity (Sonnentag, Reinecke, Mata, and Vorderer 2018; van Dijck 2013; Vorderer, Krömer, and Schneider 2016) are linked. On a meso level, institutional change in Online journalism with a focus on acceleration is modeled (Ananny, 2016; Bødker and Sonnevend 2017; Dimmick, Feaster, and Hoplamazian 2011; Krüger 2014; Neuberger 2010). On a macro level, mediatization theory (Couldry and Hepp 2017; Krotz 2001, 2012) and recent acceleration theory (Rosa 2005, 2012, 2017) is discussed. The levels are systematically linked suggesting a micro-meso-macro-link (Quandt 2010) to then ask if and how many of the dimensions of the construct temporal understanding (Faust 2016) can be changed through Internet-mediated communication. Temporal understanding consists of nine dimensions: General past, general future, instrumental experience (monochronicity), fatalism, interacting experience (polychronicity), pace of life, future as planned expectation and result of proximal goals as well as future as trust based interacting expectation and result of present positive behavior. Temporal understanding integrates the anthropological construct of polychronicity (Bluedorn, Kalliath, Strube, and Martin 1999; Hall 1984; Lindquist and Kaufman-Scarborough, 2007), pace of life (Levine, 1998) and temporal horizon (Klapproth 2011) into a broader framework which goes beyond Western biased constructs through the theory driven incorporation of Confucian notions (Chinese Culture Connection 1987). Finally, meta trends are laid out.