To add to this, when telegraph arrived in China at around 1860, it was believed to have serious impact on the fengshui / fortune of entire communities. People were particularly worried that telegraph lines going through or near cemeteries would give a terrible time to their ancestors, breaking up peace in heaven perhaps. So the infection can even go beyond this world of ours!
Those interested can check this out in Eric Baark's Lightning Wires (1997) and Yongming Zhou's Historicizing Online Politics (2005). JLQ On 4/19/07, Amparo Lasén <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > "I guess every culture or society has its own fears with the arrival > of new technologies." > > And even similar fears are found in different cultures at different times. > When fixed line phone was launched people also feared the contagion of > infectious deseases. In 1885 ther were rumours in Montreal about smallpox > being carried by people's breath through the phone (Young P. 1991 *Person > to persom. The International impact of telephone*, Cambridge: Granta). I > guess it is an easy imaginary translation to link an object that allows for > viral communication to other kind of virus. > > Best > > Amparo Lasen > > > > > > On Apr 18, 2007, at 10:15 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hello all > > > > There is an interesting story going around at the moment on a > > killer virus being spread via mobile phones in Kabul. It seems to > > be a version of Steven King's book CELL. The interesting thing is > > that it is a rumor being spread in a pretty stressed out country > > where there is also a good dose of skepticism towards the US, > > Europe etc. Regardless of how far fetched the idea is, the context > > in which it is being spread perhaps fosters this kind of thought. > > > > Rich L. > > > > A piece form zone-h is as follows: > > > > > > Fear is high in Kabul, and it is not only because of war and > > terrorism: citizens are deadly worried about a biological virus > > that can be transmitted by mobile phone, Reuters reported today. > > > > Mobile phone users are fearful that a killer virus is spreading via > > mobile phone calls and, according to rumours there have already > > been several deaths. > > > > "Don't answer any strange number because it contains a virus that > > will kill you," said the shop-owner Mr. Ahmad Fawad. > > > > Nobody knows how this news spread out but it rapidly reached any > > street and alley in kabul, producing so much panic that Afghan > > Government had to intervene and reassure the public. > > > > This story, which has got all the characteristics of a metropolitan > > legend, seems to come from Pakistan and in two weeks it swiftly > > spread throughout a country that is still bearing the effects of a > > devastating war. > > > > Officials from the Afghan Interior, Communications and Health > > ministries had to hold a speech on television and appeal for calm, > > trying to convince people about the impossibility of such a story. > > > > http://www.zone-h.org/content/view/14714/31/ > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Jack Linchuan Qiu, Ph.D. Assistant Professor School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mobile-society" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mobile-society?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
