The Network Society: Social Aspects of the New Media

by Jan A.G.M. van Dijk

How are we to understand the causes of the telecommunications revolution? How can we begin to predict its consequences? The last three decades have witnessed a dramatic acceleration in the use, demand, and need for telecommunications, data communication, and mass communication transmitted and integrated into networks. Through a synthesis of contemporary theories about modernization, this book offers a broad-ranging introduction to the 'network' society in all its aspects.

The Network Society:

- Analyzes the new media in all their technical, economic, political, sociological, cultural and psychological aspects.

- Examines the new media in term

Genres: Sociology, Social Media

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 1999

Reviews

[Yates Buckley]

Rereading this book in 2019 I realise how I had really missed some of the key ideas on first reading some years ago.

Not an easy read and by all means not up to date completely and could do with more references to the underlying network theory work...

But overall this is the most complete and insightful analysis of network effects on society and is a must read for anyone trying to understand the effect of digital technology on social transformation. If we had paid more attention to the work we might have reduced some of the negative impact earlier.

[Serdar]

Digital Revolution! I like hes review on mass media co-operations, Although I couldn't help my self thinking that he was too sharp and narrow minded at times. In my opinion the affection of this book should be, how to minimize this epidemic fever at larger communities, in order to have an effect towards the mass media operations. As an addition, maybe there should be less prespectives since there are becoming overlayered every now and than at story line

[Heather]

Van Dijk offers a comprehensive look at network society and social media, which I read as part of my graduate coursework.