Zero Proximity: Increasing the Online Visibility of Academics at the University of Mauritius
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2014-03
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University of Cape Town. Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme
University of Cape Town
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On the airport approach road, an unsubtle pink billboard for T-Systems1 proclaims: "Zero Distance: The proximity to our customers." T-Systems is not T-Mobile (although they are probably cousins) but such is our neural wiring that the following thought is triggered: "Does anyone still use voicemail anymore?" Although empirical research is thin on the ground, there is evidence that shows that the use of voice-recorded messages on mobile phones decreased by 8% between July 2011 and July 2012. A possible explanation for the decline is the expectation that we are always connected, that we are never really o" the grid or disconnected from the network, no matter where we find ourselves. In T-terms, we live in a zero-proximity world. Traditional space-time boundaries have collapsed in a globalised world, and this has garnered an unwavering expectation that any signal to make contact will be returned without delay.
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Van Schalkwyk, F. 2014-03. Zero Proximity: Increasing the Online Visibility of Academics at the University of Mauritius.