Space-time compression refers to the speed of transportation making places “closer” together in terms of social distance. This free response answer will highlight examples of how technological advancements have connected people and places around the globe and also show the relation to distance decay and friction of distance.
The internet has connected us to millions of different sites and has allowed us to communicate almost instantly to anyone in the world. With the increase in social media sites and applications, using an application like Facebook, a person from the United States can instant message (IM) to their family member in Australia and “catch up” versus having to write a letter and take 6-7 business days to arrive.
With the Friction of Distance, it would be difficult for a person in the “old times” to write to someone in a different faraway country, especially overseas. It would take much energy and effort to get a letter from the United States to Australia; first, you would have to use the Pony Express then send it overseas and take it one month to arrive.
Today the evolvement of transportation has surpassed any sort of transportation back in the ages. With cars, trains, jets, and cruise liners, the ability to transport or travel is faster than ever before. The first earth tracks were created by humans carrying goods and often followed game trails. Now they have major highways and motored vehicles. Distance decay is decreased because of the amount of tourism in the world. It allows other people from different places in the world to interact with one another.
Technological advancements in transportation and communication has allowed many people and places to have greater interaction because of space-time compression.