The social shaping of British communications networks prior to the First World War

Die soziale Pragung der britischen Telekommunikationsnetzwerke vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg« . This paper applies concepts from the social sci- ences to the evolution of communications in Britain before the First World War: the social shaping of technology, social networks and the distinction be- tween short and long term effects. Two cases studies relating to communica- tions in nineteenth century Britain - the telegraphic link to India and phones - are then examined in the light of these concepts. It is argued that communica- tion networks grow out of existing social/business networks, which in turn re- flect previous communication and transport networks, and that the main imme- diate effect of a new mode is to increase communication with existing contacts while in the longer run, new practices develop.

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