The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume I

The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume I (The Rise of Network Society #1)

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This book, the first in Castells' ground-breaking trilogy, is an account of the economic and social dynamics of the new age of information. Based on research in the USA, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, it aims to formulate a systematic theory of the information society which takes account of the fundamental effects of information technology on the contemporary world.
Paperback, 624 pages
Published August 15th 2000 by Wiley-Blackwell (first published September 1st 1996)
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Harris
The three volumes that this book is a part of ate staggering in scope and often penetrating in analysis. Castells' theory of flow is groundbreaking and provides a framework for an entirely new direction in communication theory, the political economy of mediated communication, and the politics of information and culture.

One critique of these three volumes is that there are moments in all three books where Castells becomes nostalgic for a so-called authentic urban space and culture that is highly...more
Jack
A massive, boundary-spanning, all-encompassing work of social theory attempting to reformulate the way we live now. It's a big book, but full of interesting tid-bits -- a more massive companion to Jerry Davis' Managed by the Markets: How Finance Has Re-Shaped America. Castells does not wear his learning lightly, but he has a lot of it.

Hopefully, I'll sit down and write massive review it deserves soon.
Joseph
I'm reading this for a class assignment. A lot of it is a useful historical review of world economic and technological trends and events from the 70s to the 90s, charting the rise of "network enterprises" as the key units of the new global economy. His main points are on the consequences of these changes, for example that the processes of innovation are marginalizing large sections of the global population, and that there is a growing antithesis between the Net and the Self leading to the rise o...more
Nikolay Mollov
Very, very serious anthropological book! Contains genealogy and the reasons for the successes and failures of different cultures at different times in technological development, which outlines how we got into the current situation. Castells examines the historical emergence of new forms of social interaction, experience, production, power and control, and what is behind it all reaching the 21st century.
Mowena Glunch
Pompous. Terrible. Castells has perfected the art of saying next to nothing in the most overblown opaque possible. I can only hope series dies a rapid death.
Erin
Dry, academic, treatse on globalization in the world today. I had to read it for a Globalization class in grad school. I never really got it; the class or the book.
Noora
Osittain relevantti ja mielenkiintoinen tenttikirja, osittain se taas keskittyi liikaa talouteen ja työllisyyteen näin humanistin näkökulmasta.
Ciara


Powerful in it's capacity to inform those of whom are interested in Society currently.
Andrew
Working in the vein of David Harvey, Castells manages to put together a wise, all-encompassing analysis, linking the "network" processes of space, time, and capital. Despite its broad scope, Castells manages to avoid heavy generalization, instead showing us how any oddities and exceptions are firmly ingrained in the network. Good for anyone interested in the state of modern society.
Ilias
The second edition with the new preface is a must-read! Castells offers a concise insight on the mechanisms of our globalized world and provides a basis to explain the current political and financial incidents.
Bryan
Indispensable.
Jayfader
On loan from Alex Lightman :)
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Goodreads Librari...: Different book or not? (Spanish librarian needed) 2 152 Sep 07, 2012 04:42am  
The Rise of the Network Society (Paperback)
A Era da Informação: Economia, Sociedade e Cultura, A Sociedade em Rede
Rise of the Network Society (Paperback)
La Sociedad Red: Una Vision Global (Paperback)
L'era De La Informació:  I.Economia, Societat I Cultura, Volum I La societat xarxa (Paperback)

15603
Castells is a sociologist especially associated with information society and communication research.
The 2000–09 research survey of the Social Sciences Citation Index ranks him as the world’s fifth most-cited social science scholar, and the foremost-cited communication scholar.
More about Manuel Castells...
The Power of Identity: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Volume II The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society End of Millennium: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture , Volume III Communication Power Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age

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