Art & Technology

Comparing the Social and Cultural Impact of the Introduction of Electricity in Paris to the Impact of the Internet

Paris, The City of Light, was transformed through the advent of electricity, resulting in social and cultural impacts comparable to the modern influence of the internet. Electric lighting changed perceptions of the night and social interactions. Electricity significantly increased light levels compared to gaslight, chasing away real and metaphorical darkness. Lighting increased visibility, facilitating increased social use of the night, as more people visited theatres, exhibitions, cafes, and nightclubs. Schivelbusch (1988) noted that the darkness still remained; less savory activities continued in dark alleyways were gaslight remained.

The "Electric Paris" exhibition reflects the emerging nightlife culture. Examples of the emerging culture were seen with works such as Tissot's "The Ladies of Chariots," showing a large event at the Hippodrome de l'Alma, Steinlen's lithograph "The Shop Window" shows the impact of lighting on consumerism. The pattern of life was changing diminishing the differentiation between night and day, impacting on workplaces as well as leisure time as electricity illuminated factories, extending efficient working hours. The change process started with gaslights was accelerated by electric lighting.

Parallels with the internet are striking; the internet is building on past communications technology, with the internet accelerating change. Just as electricity created a new lighter environment so does the internet, creating a virtual environment unbound by time, social barriers, and geographical boundaries. The potential for social and commercial interactions and transactions is increased, and local cultures are increasing influenced by these interactions. However, darkness still remains, unsavory transactions can be found on the dark net, so the dark alleyways have not disappeared.

References

Electric Paris, (2013), accessed at http://clarkart.edu/exhibitions/electricparis/content/exhibition.cfm

Schivelbusch, Wolfgang, Davies A (trans.), (1988), Disenchanted Night, The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century, University of California Press