Time–space compression: Difference between revisions

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'''Time–space compression''' (also known as '''space–time compression''' and '''time–space distanciation''') is a [[Marxism|Marxist]] idea referring to the altering of the qualities of space–time and the relationship between space and time that is a consequence of the expansion of [[Capital (economics)|capital]]. It is rooted in [[Karl Marx]]'s theory of the "annihilation of timespace by spacetime" originally elaborated in the ''[[Grundrisse]]'',<ref>Marx, Karl. ''Grundrisse''. Penguin Classics, 1993. pp.&nbsp;539.</ref> and was later articulated by Marxist geographer [[David Harvey (geographer)|David Harvey]] in his book ''The Condition of Postmodernity''.<ref>Harvey, David. ''The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change''. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1990.</ref> A similar idea was proposed by [[Elmar Altvater]] in an article in ''PROKLA'' in 1987, translated into English as "Ecological and Economic Modalities of Time and Space" and published in ''[[Capitalism Nature Socialism]]'' in 1990.

Time–space compression occurs as a result of technological innovations driven by the global expansion of capital that condense or elide spatial and temporal distances, including [[communication technology|technologies of communication]] ([[telegraph]], [[telephone]]s, [[fax machine]]s, [[Internet]]) and [[travel]] (rail, cars, trains, jets), driven by the need to overcome spatial barriers, open up new markets, speed up production cycles, and reduce the turnover time of capital.