Time-Space Convergence

The world has never been more connected than it is now. Regardless of where you may live, you may have access to devices connected to the Internet and fast transport (private automobiles and planes). Access to these amenities and services actually appear to decrease distance. Places and people feel much closer to you, even if geographically, they are very far away. Sounds elaborate, but there's a term for this: time-space convergence. Let's take a look at the definition of time-space convergence.

Time-Space Convergence: Geography Definition

Time-space convergence is the process of travel time diminishing as technological advancements in transportation and communication bring places closer together. Travel times have been consistently decreasing for the last 200 years as stagecoaches replaced walking, railroads replaced stagecoaches, and automobiles replaced railroads. With every step, less time is required to travel to places, making travel easier and more frequent.

Along with travel, communication technology such as phones, computers, and the internet have further closed the space between places. Whereas letters and face-to-face interaction were the primary forms of communication 200 years ago, we now have ways of meeting people and getting to know them without even stepping out of our rooms!

Fig. 1 - Stagecoach in Gotthard Pass, Switzerland; stagecoach travel made places feel 'bigger' than they do now because of the amount of time and distance spent traveling

Time-space convergence may also mean that the world feels smaller. Humans are social creatures and interactions are a major part of our day, regardless of what tasks or jobs we have to perform. With the ability to travel and communicate with people from all over the world, the distances between us feel much smaller. This has the potential to be a great thing for places and people that thrive on diversity, innovation, and change. However, it means some places have had major disruptions in their way of life and may have seen declines in their population as a result.

Difference Between Time-Space Convergence and Time-Space Compression

Before moving forward, you may have also heard of time-space compression. This is an entirely different concept, although it deals with the same issue of time and space. Time-space compression is a Marxist theory proposed by David Harvey to describe how the physical importance of a place decreases as the pace of life increases.² Harvey proposed this as a result of studying the change in the number of events and activities in day-to-day life in the early 20th century.

He attributed the rise of globalization to increases in communication across larger distances. As a result, there is greater individualization as people are able to connect anywhere in the world without needing to meet in person. Per his theory, this individualization has led to an increase in social media and a decline in traditional social institutions.

There are several critiques of space-time compression in that it oversimplifies much bigger processes in the world. First, every person and place is experiencing the world differently, and overgeneralizing the human experience incorrectly categorizes some groups. Second, globalization is occurring as a result of many more factors than just greater speed in communication, even if it is a contributing factor.

Time-Space Convergence Example

There are several examples of time-space convergence within transportation and communication technology. While transportation advancements deal more with the physical transfer of things or people, communication advancements highlight the importance of faster information transfer.

Transportation and Accessibility: US Expansion

Cities and towns were developed based on how connected they were to resources, people, and other places. If places were geographically isolated, difficult to cross, or simply uninhabitable, it was unlikely anyone would travel there.

With transportation advances, physical limitations have greatly diminished. As long as a rail line or road can be built, most places are now accessible. Take, for instance, the expansion of the US from east to west. When European settlers first built colonies in the east, they were all in proximity to each other, limited by stagecoach travel.

Fig. 2 - Map of the Virginia Central Railroad and Planned Construction (1852)

Over time, the US government acquired more lands westward, and the issue of connectivity and travel arose. Early pioneers took to walking and horseback travel, exposing themselves to dangerous conditions. That was until the mid-1800s when railroad companies began to build new lines across the US. Additionally, the invention of steamboats allowed people to navigate rivers and travel around the US. Farmers had more opportunities to settle in states with more fertile lands.

These developments spurred several things. First, productivity and industrialization took off, increasing trade throughout different regions in the US. Second, cities began to grow in areas well connected by new transport. Distances that used to take days or weeks to cross only took a few hours. Waves of immigrants migrated west, finding new settlements accessible and full of opportunities.

Communication and Information Technology

The US is now well-connected primarily by planes and highways. What has brought people even closer together are the major improvements in speed and timing of communication. Communication technology really took off in the late 1800s with telegraphs linking most of the world together. We've evolved to telephone networks and wireless internet, with personal devices that allow us both greater flexibility and access to one another. Now, companies can hire workers from all over the world, a step only made possible by the growth in communication tools and the importance of information technology.

As developed countries move into expanding their quaternary sectors, the creation and diffusion of information are critical to being competitive and successful. For instance, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted governments to shut borders and require companies to make as much of their work as remote as possible. Jobs that required close proximity to others were largely disrupted.

The surge in transitions to remote work disrupted the lives of most workers, creating a new phase in major global economies. This transition only currently affects about 20% of the US workforce, with the majority of other workers requiring interactions with others.³ However, there's a higher acceptance of remote work, which is only made possible by the rise of smartphones, laptops, and broadband internet. This, in turn, decreases the space between work and home, as they are both experienced in the same place.

Time-Space Convergence vs Time-Space Divergence

Time-space convergence is a result of increased interconnections. The opposite of this is time-space divergence, in which transport times have increased while the reliability of services has decreased.⁴ This is based on increased congestion and worsening transport services due to inequality in access and quality of these services.

As traveling times increase, mentally the distance also increases. Take, for instance, long queues at the airports after 9/11. Due to the security breaches that occurred at multiple airports, more thorough scans were implemented. This increased waiting times before even boarding the plane, reducing how quickly we could transport ourselves to other places and reducing time-space convergence.

Time-space divergence can occur anywhere from major cities to small, remote towns. However, lower-income people are most affected by restrictions on transport. This creates an imbalance in the accessibility to opportunities, as people may be limited in where they can go.

Time-Space Convergence: Globalization

Globalization has been made possible by the convergence of technology in the areas of transportation and communication. This has led to a 'shrinking' of the world and a corresponding increase in interaction between people and societies.

The process of globalization has been advanced by the development of international organizations, such as the World Trade Organization, and by the increasing role of multinational corporations. These organizations increase connections and communication across borders.

There are some key challenges brought on by globalization, including inequality and environmental degradation due to increased levels of economic activity. Despite the challenges, globalization is likely to continue as technological advances make the world increasingly interconnected (hence, more time-space convergence and diffusion). It is important to manage the process of globalization in order to minimize the negative effects and maximize the positive effects.