Digitalization transforms our daily life. Computers and robots hugely impact productivity in the workplace. Social networks and dating apps fundamentally changed the way we connect and communicate. How these changes unfold over the decades and impact our everyday life is often ignored if noticed at all. Yet the implications are so diverse and far reaching that it is valuable to document the changes. This initiative – Digitalization Takes Command – aims to elaborate a common ground to capture, discuss and reflect on this transformation.
Mechanization provides an example of an example of how gradually change takes hold of everything. First water and wind was used to mill grain, saw wood and pump mines. Then steam engines took over to be ousted by internal combustion engines and subsequently electric motors. The control over mechanical energy enabled us to increase productivity in agriculture and industry, which in turn led to wealth creation. Moreover it changed social relations as a result of our reduced time spent on household chores, increased travel range, etc. Sigfried Gideon captured these changes, their effect on everyday life and philosophical implications in his influential book ‘Mechanization Takes Command, a Contribution to Anonymous History’ (1948).
Figure 50 from ‘Mechanization Takes Command’ shows a device for automatic weighing of hogs in a slaughterhouse that used ‘de-assembly-line’ to mechanise the slaughter process. The figure is taken from a patent (U.S. Patent 92,083, 29 June 1869).
First published in 1948, Mechanization Takes Command is an examination of mechanization and its effects on everyday life. A monumental figure in the field of architectural history, Sigfried Giedion traces the evolution and resulting philosophical implications of such disparate innovations as the slaughterhouse, the Yale lock, the assembly line, tractors, ovens, and comfort as defined by advancements in furniture design. A groundbreaking text when originally published, Giedion’s pioneering work remains an important contribution to architecture, philosophy, and technology studies.
Inspired by the way Sigfried Gideon captured the impact of mechanization we set out to document cases of digitalization. Some will be descriptive records of art, culture or technological history. Others will contain reflections that articulate personal opinions of the authors which are relevant because, after all, technology is not value-free. Together they aim to provide a rich and diverse picture of how digitalization takes command of our world.