Locative Media & The City

In reference to media technology and popular media Crandall states that, “Each has produced instruments designed to collapse distance and time, aiming to close the gap between the perceiving subject and the visible world”(Page 6). A connection or a gaze is built between subjects by the use of these technological objects, but what I find interesting is the way in which military use and popular use seem so much alike. Tracking, in military terms, signifies an enemy. The subject uses detection in order to violently destroy an opponent. A relationship is formed between the object and the subject. In American media, this relationship is transferred into a collective we, as stated in the article. The objects in both cases control perception. I think this is an extremely important point to note as we consume news coverage on the “War against Terrorism.” How are our perceptions being shaped? Are we justified by the notion that media and television simply turns us into “hollowed out couch potatoes”? Is there any room for alternatives?