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政治人的感官構成轉變

剛才花了點時間找到大學時現場聽過的一首〈再見少年路〉,聽過後突然有點感觸:我們在世存在的形式轉變了,而這個轉變歸根究柢是人的公共時空感知的轉變。
九零年代至今,時間變成了空間,人變成了背景。
以前要聽現場演唱,因為距離,人可以物理地感受到時間。在錄音帶的時代,專輯得按照磁帶上的紀錄聽,就算快進快退,也是在同一條線上。到了光碟的時代,可以前後挑歌,但還是在一個被安排好的順序上,時間還是在一條線上。Youtube把線取消了,只有個別影音檔的時間線,但作為一個專輯成品的時間線不見了。因此,到了網路時代,這些全都變成了一個空間上可任意挑選的門或窗,在沒有邊界的無垠空間裡。
同樣地,書店、電影院等現實存在的處所所衍生的距離及時間,也全都取消了。我們於是都是一個人面對提供無窮可能的巨大資料庫。
取消了這些處所,就取消了共同以這些處所聯繫記憶的想像,於是想像的共同體事實上就轉變成個別面對無窮可能的巨大資料庫時,做出共同選擇、卻不繫於具體地點的同好者。
人因此不再相見,儘管不斷虛擬地相逢。發現的同好其實是所好的一部份,儘管是非必要的一部份。他人因此成為背景。
如此存在的個體其實無須政治。或者說,政治的想像方式改變了,因為可見的想像共同體變成了不可見的想像共同體,而不可見使得想像的邊界更為遼闊,但背叛的成本卻前所未有地低落。

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