of information, as Postman points out. It is out of this excess that mass culture is formed Yet in spite of the undermining events of recent history, society has remained relatively ordered. Chaos has not broken out, though we often think a breakout is imminent where does order come from in the modern alphabetic culture? The answer is that modern societies have transformed order into control 7. Transformation of order into control Order emanates from the very media that have been central to the revolutionary change in information technology: the mass media. Let us reconsider the essential elements of auditory cultures, knowledge communicated interpersonally, through songs, rituals, and stories. There is a strong emotional element to this communication. The mass media, however, have circumvented the ordering role of elder statesmen, or other institutions for the communication of knowledge, and gone straight to the masses. Radio, television, and newspapers undermine the traditional veneration of age by placing priority on the immediacy and novelty of information, as we have seen above. More important, the mass media blur the distinction between information ( daily activities such as records, statistics and events)and knowledge( the ordered, historical meaning of life) Thus, because authority no longer resides in knowledge, it is easy prey to the powers of modern mass communications. And modern mass communications are able to exploit and convey their message using emotionally-charged visual and auditory media. Their method of communication is similar to that of auditory cultures, but far more powerful. Yet mass media only superficially communicate knowledge, as they have unwittingly eroded the basis of knowledge itself. That is, as McCluhan and Postman have argued, the medium itself changes the nature and content of the message. Mass media exert raw power over the masses. They hold the pwer to create needs and desires where they did not exist(as through advertising) The mass media market pre-packaged information to the masses who remain passive consumers of information. We should note that this is ranw power exerted over the masses, as distinct from the authority exerted in the middle ages which emanated from the authority of religion(e.g. The Bible or The Koran) In a democracy the free media therefore competes with established authority structures such as the bureaucracies of government for control, and exerts a powerful check on the control exerted by government. This is why in a less than democratic society, where the government regulates the media, control of the masses may approach the absolute. Thus, while the changes in media(outlined in Table 1)are important in understanding the revolution in information technology today, they tell only part of the story. Changes that have come about society in response to the undermining of traditional authority explain the rest. These institutions are the bureaucracies of society, of which criminal justice is one 8. Bureaucracies, Information and Control As many sociologists have observed, bureaucracies arose to cope with the disintegration of traditional society, and in response to the demands of the industrial revolution. Bureaucracies provided a way of orgar large numbers of people to perform together in accomplishing complex tasks(in the factory, for example)- 8 - of information, as Postman points out. It is out of this excess that mass culture is formed. Yet in spite of the undermining events of recent history, society has remained relatively ordered. Chaos has not broken out, though we often think a breakout is imminent. Where does order come from in the modern alphabetic culture? The answer is that modern societies have transformed order into control. 7. Transformation of Order into Control Order emanates from the very media that have been central to the revolutionary change in information technology: the mass media. Let us reconsider the essential elements of auditory cultures; knowledge is communicated interpersonally, through songs, rituals, and stories. There is a strong emotional element to this communication. The mass media, however, have circumvented the ordering role of elder statesmen, or other institutions for the communication of knowledge, and gone straight to the masses. Radio, television, and newspapers undermine the traditional veneration of age by placing priority on the immediacy and novelty of information, as we have seen above. More important, the mass media blur the distinction between information (daily activities such as records, statistics and events) and knowledge (the ordered, historical meaning of life). Thus, because authority no longer resides in knowledge, it is easy prey to the powers of modern mass communications. And modern mass communications are able to exploit and convey their message using emotionally-charged visual and auditory media. Their method of communication is similar to that of auditory cultures, but far more powerful. Yet mass media only superficially communicate knowledge,as they have unwittingly eroded the basis of knowledge itself. That is, as McCluhan and Postman have argued, the medium itself changes the nature and content of the message. Mass media exert raw power over the masses. They hold the pwer to create needs and desires where they did not exist (as through advertising). The mass media market pre-packaged information to the masses who remain passive consumers of information. We should note that this is raw power exerted over the masses, as distinct from the authority exerted in the middle ages which emanated from the authority of religion (e.g. The Bible or The Koran). In a democracy the free media therefore competes with established authority structures such as the bureaucracies of government for control, and exerts a powerful check on the control exerted by government. This is why in a less than democratic society, where the government regulates the media, control of the masses may approach the absolute. Thus, while the changes in media (outlined in Table 1) are important in understanding the revolution in information technology today, they tell only part of the story. Changes that have come about in society in response to the undermining of traditional authority explain the rest. These institutions are the bureaucracies of society, of which criminal justice is one. 8. Bureaucracies, Information and Control As many sociologists have observed, bureaucracies arose to cope with the disintegration of traditional society, and in response to the demands of the industrial revolution. Bureaucracies provided a way of organising large numbers of people to perform together in accomplishing complex tasks (in the factory, for example)