TRAVEL VS. TELECOMMUNICATION CURRENT UNDERSTANDING

This paper examines the issue of travel versus telecommunication. The author reviews current knowledge, and suggests that substitution of telecommuting will become feasible due to technological and economic developments in the computer industry. He takes readers back to a question that faced travelers in Great Britain during World War II during a period of energy shortages: Is your journey really necessary. He suggests that the impacts of potential substitution of business travel in the inter-urban context would outweigh any stimulation of other travel purposes such as recreational travel. Finally, he lists nine critical factors, from type of work and meeting tasks of user groups to users predisposition to new equipment, that will dictate the publics acceptance of new telecommunication services.