Arrested Pulse

CNN's multimedia presentation of Obama's inauguration showed how new communication technologies can provide for our own ritual participation in national events.

As opposed to the traditional transmission view of communication, which conceives of information-based instruments such as newspapers as disseminating news and knowledge, the ritual view promoted by theorist John Carey involved the receivers in dramatic action, inviting them to join "a world of contending forces as an observation at a play." The word “play” is significant because a theatrical event is not so much reality but “a presentation of reality."

And that's exactly what CNN's coverage of the inauguration offered us--a presentation so diverse that we felt like we were there, participating in the event itself. If we could’t watch the inauguration live on television - as in the good old days - we could go to their website and have its live coverage streamed (we have a choice as well between CNN and CNN’s Headline News channel). If that wasn't enough to make us feel like we were there, on the spot, live, then we could click on CNN’s “Your View of History” and watch the entire proceedings through the handheld camera phones of individuals (called "iReporters" by CNN) standing along the parade route or among the crowd at the inauguration proper.

We could even choose specific vantage points from which to experience the event (these points are designated on a satellite photograph of the Capitol): the presidential viewing stand, 7th and D Street, the Lincoln Memorial, and a handful of other places. As we clicked about this assemblage of view points, we encountered the event from a variety of perspectives — each one disappearing as quickly as it appeared, replaced by new ones, a continually shifting, dynamic montage of images that gave us more than just the sense of simply being present. Through CNN's multimedia options, we had a kind of omnipresence, the ability to experience the event from a variety of angles, positions, perspectives, and distances.

Those who went to Washington for the event could serve as historians by documenting what CNN called “The Moment.” Here’s how it works, according to CNN's website:


What once was the job of historians and writers — to document history — has become, thanks to technology, a task available to anyone with access to digital image-recording instruments.

Finally, if we wanted a sense of actual community—sharing of this occasion with others—we could click on CNN’s “Experience the Inauguration” tab, which brought us to a Facebook page where live coverage was streamed to a video player. As particular images appeared on the screen, Facebook members sent out their comments. Some are in the form of updates, such as these:

• Shantoura Wilson is crying like a baby! Where's waterproof mascara when you need it! (12:53 PM)
• Madison Wai is super impressed with the inauguration speech!!! Congratulations, Mr. President! (12:53 PM)
• Beth Johnson is saying "good riddance" to Bush! (12:52 PM)

Others came in the form of commentaries on specific images. When I checked in at 12:49 PM, an image of Cheney in his wheelchair appeared on the screen. Within seconds, people began to comment on his “new wheels” and wannabe “hot rod” image, most poking fun at him.

Long story short: the inauguration of Barack Obama demonstrates how the new communication technologies are collapsing time and space in order to provide people with the sensation that they are present (in some cases, omnipresent) at and participants in the dramatic unfolding of events on January 20, 2009, which has been constructed as something bordering on the epic. This is not just “news” being transmitted to us; it’s a cultural ritual inviting our participation while shaping our experience while we engage in it.