OUR OWN DEVICES - HETEROTOPIC COMMUNICATION, DISCOURSE, AND CULTURE IN THE INFORMATION-SOCIETY

The main premise of this article is that in information societies gene rally, and in virtual social contexts particularly, a distinctive styl e of interaction to facilitate the communication of difference, hetero topic communication, has emerged, It rests on two cultural foundations : an ideological belief in the positive, socially integrating power of communication, and a prevailing ethic of instrumental rationality, su bjective individualism, and strategically practiced self-interest. The former is demonstrated by the use of simulation and spectacle as sour ces of information; exhibitionism/voyeurism as a communicative style; and the awareness of surveillance. The latter is seen in the competiti ve use of knowledge as ii commodity; a surface globalism masking deep parochialism; lateral as well as vertical information inequity; and th e use of public versus private as strategies for engagement rather tha n as spaces. Those who engage in heterotopic communication resort to t heir ''own devices'' both in the sense of personal agendas, strategies , interests, and interpretations, and in the form of the telecommunica tion tools that help realize them. These personal and technological de vices allow individuals with the right educational and technical resou rces to avoid exposure to disagreement, difference, or other informati on that does not serve their direct purposes or reflect their particul ar views of the world; yet they also help convey the appearance of ope nness, availability, and cooperation. This style of interaction is use d strategically in combination with information and communication tech nologies to gain social or economic advantages, but it may encourage s ocial separatism and parochialism, inhibit the negotiation of disputes , and emphasize competing interests.