Faster transport and communication do not inherently cause more frequent use or time scarcity

Evidence

However, it is of crucial significance that processes of transportation, production, and communication, which constitute the focal points of technological acceleration, are all noncontinuous and therefore display no intrinsic tendencies of growth. The fact that today it is possible to cover the distance from A to B in a shorter time neither logically nor causally implies that we do (or should) cover these distances more frequently or control larger expanses, and, likewise, the possibility of communicating a certain quantity of signs in less time (across a certain distance) neither logically nor causally brings with it the duty or even the tendency to communicate larger quantities or more often. In itself the capability of producing a given quantity of goods faster is independent of any escalation of production. Yet if the quantity transported, communicated, or produced remains constant, the “pace of life” decreases rather than increases as a logical consequence of technological acceleration, since the time needed for the fulfillment of a given task shrinks: “free time” arises in the sense of a freeing up of formerly tied-down time resources (cf. figure 2.3). Under these conditions the problem of time scarcity progressively slackens. — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 234

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes continuous growth processes from noncontinuous acceleration processes, a key conceptual clarification of what ‘acceleration’ can mean.
• XREF: connects to: Faster technology does not by itself change social practices or structures. — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration: A New Theory of…, 257; Time-saving technology coexists with unprecedented felt time scarcity; Perceived delay arises from mismatched interaction speeds, not actual slowness — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration: A New Theory of…, 277 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Faster technology does not by itself change social practices or structures. #corroborates (0.90) — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 257
• Technical acceleration contradicts rather than explains modern time scarcity and stress #corroborates (0.85) — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 236
• Time-saving technology coexists with unprecedented felt time scarcity #corroborates (0.82)
• Technology saves time yet people feel more time-starved than ever #corroborates (0.82) — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 58
• Temporal impatience preceded and enabled technological acceleration, not vice versa #expands (0.75) — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 182
• Perceived delay arises from mismatched interaction speeds, not actual slowness #complicates (0.72) — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 277