The Wi-Fi presence on the Presidential campaign trail is proving how reporters have come to rely on the latest in technology to get their job done. When John Kerry rolls into town so does a Wi-Fi hotspot allowing high speed Internet access to the laptops of dozens of reporters and television producers covering the event. Reporters have also grown dependent on BlackBerry devices and AirCards that allow laptops access to the Web wirelessly. (Source: Wall Street Journal)"
This is really interesting. A campaign is a high-speed chase at this point, so I suppose it doesn't make sense to search for local offerings in the form of Wi-Fi, but I wonder whether this could be made usable to the public as well and how would that affect both the image of the "campaign trail" and the idea of a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Dependency on devices, however, is not new. People who depend on information as a source of income and profit, will use any technology that provides access to information and facility to move it from place to place faster. They will also grow dependent on these facilities especially if they become common...
What is more curious, is the slightly disconcerting language of the article - "dependency", "rolls in" - I am sure George Lakoff from UCBerkeley would have lots to say about this. WTJ is a fairly conservative publication and the image that is drawn here is not exactly positive especialy with regards to technology use and dissemination as well as the modality of work that jouranlists engage in.... all of that, as a subtext... hmm... does that suggest ICT is more of a democratic gimmik? factcheck.com anyone?
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