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Society and the Internet: How Networks of Information and Communication are Changing Our Lives
How is society being reshaped by the continued diffusion and increasing centrality of the Internet in everyday life and work? Society and the Internet provides key readings for students, scholars, and those interested in understanding the interactions of the Internet and society. This multidisciplinary collection of theoretically and empirically anchored chapters addresses the big questions about one of the most significant technological transformations of this century, through a diversity of data, methods, theories, and approaches.
Drawing from a range of disciplinary perspectives, Internet research can address core questions about equality, voice, knowledge, participation, and power. By learning from the past and continuing to look toward the future, it can provide a better understanding of what the ever-changing configurations of technology and society mean, both for the everyday life of individuals and for the continued development of society at large.
This second edition presents new and original contributions examining the escalating concerns around social media, disinformation, big data, and privacy. Following a foreword by Manual Castells, the editors introduce some of the key issues in Internet Studies. The chapters then offer the latest research in five focused The Internet in Everyday Life; Digital Rights and Human Rights; Networked Ideas, Politics, and Governance; Networked Businesses, Industries, and Economics; and Technological and Regulatory Histories and Futures. This book will be a valuable resource not only for students and researchers, but for anyone seeking a critical examination of the economic, social, and political factors shaping the Internet and its impact on society.
Drawing from a range of disciplinary perspectives, Internet research can address core questions about equality, voice, knowledge, participation, and power. By learning from the past and continuing to look toward the future, it can provide a better understanding of what the ever-changing configurations of technology and society mean, both for the everyday life of individuals and for the continued development of society at large.
This second edition presents new and original contributions examining the escalating concerns around social media, disinformation, big data, and privacy. Following a foreword by Manual Castells, the editors introduce some of the key issues in Internet Studies. The chapters then offer the latest research in five focused The Internet in Everyday Life; Digital Rights and Human Rights; Networked Ideas, Politics, and Governance; Networked Businesses, Industries, and Economics; and Technological and Regulatory Histories and Futures. This book will be a valuable resource not only for students and researchers, but for anyone seeking a critical examination of the economic, social, and political factors shaping the Internet and its impact on society.
- GenresResearchNonfiction
480 pages, Paperback
First published July 29, 2014
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 2, 2022
Similar to the OII, this collection careens across an array of disciplines - philosophy to psychology to economics to law to political science.
Some parts of the book were great - balancing high-level with deep analyses - covering topics that are both personally interesting and relevant to my studies (Politics of Children's Internet Use, Social Media and Democracy in Crisis, Networked Individualism). Others were dense and obfuscatory, requiring domain-specific knowledge.
Of the books I've read this term, this will likely be the most helpful source when it comes time for my Social Dynamics of the Internet final. However, reading this text didn't exactly instill confidence. Certain essays were more readable than others. Unless you are taking SDI (and even then) I wouldn't recommend reading this cover-to-cover but rather cherry-picking essays to suit your interests.
Updating this review to four stars as the appendix is incredible. Super helpful.
Some parts of the book were great - balancing high-level with deep analyses - covering topics that are both personally interesting and relevant to my studies (Politics of Children's Internet Use, Social Media and Democracy in Crisis, Networked Individualism). Others were dense and obfuscatory, requiring domain-specific knowledge.
Of the books I've read this term, this will likely be the most helpful source when it comes time for my Social Dynamics of the Internet final. However, reading this text didn't exactly instill confidence. Certain essays were more readable than others. Unless you are taking SDI (and even then) I wouldn't recommend reading this cover-to-cover but rather cherry-picking essays to suit your interests.
Updating this review to four stars as the appendix is incredible. Super helpful.
November 14, 2023
6/10 Book. The main problem is that it is very long. Instead of 416 pages it could be 216 pages easily. There are a lot of useless stuff, but there is also something useful and interesting. I can not name something particular, because the whole book lacks color (in literal term). Boring research language and a lot of useless data that do not give reader anything at all.
December 8, 2014
This book consists of 23 chapters by a combination of 31 authors from a range of academic disciplines, all largely with some connection to the Oxford Internet Institute, drawn together to answer some of the ‘big’ questions on ‘internet studies’. The book is divided into five parts, with the fifth considering aspects of the future.
Whilst making the claim to be multi-disciplinary, the book fails to include philosophy, and in particular ethics. While there are some elements that refer to this in a few of the chapters, in fact an ethical discourse should be fundamental to all the ‘big’ questions being asked around power, equality, diversity, hierarchies, communities, privacy and governance.
Given my personal interest in e-government the first chapters I explored were chapters 11 and 12, “Transforming government by default” and “The Wisdom of Which Crowd?”, whose conclusions seemed to support my own research whilst adding some information of which I wasn’t aware - always a good sign!
Then, reading the book from cover to cover, I found it to be a veritable vade mecum of the internet and its social consequences, with a wealth of information for the researcher and the authors suggesting lots of opportunities for further research, including social media and big data.
Some fascinating chapters on less publicised areas of work cover the Thai silk industry and the Sudanese labour market, both of which reveal the unrealistic expectations and limited potential of what change the internet is capable of delivering in the less developed world.
The editors also include a chapter on legal aspects of the cloud - not an particularly easy area to disseminate and one that changes very quickly, but at least such a sexy topic (for professionals) is raised and covered well within the space constraints. Similarly the currently topical issue of governance and social media is sensibly dealt with. The final chapter takes us on to the future and the semantic or ‘linked data’ web - who knows what will happen to future incarnations, but some tentative views are offered.
Overall a useful book for the university or college library, and anyone else to dip in and out of. How easily it will date - who knows?
Reviewed by Dr Mick Phythian MBCS CITP
Whilst making the claim to be multi-disciplinary, the book fails to include philosophy, and in particular ethics. While there are some elements that refer to this in a few of the chapters, in fact an ethical discourse should be fundamental to all the ‘big’ questions being asked around power, equality, diversity, hierarchies, communities, privacy and governance.
Given my personal interest in e-government the first chapters I explored were chapters 11 and 12, “Transforming government by default” and “The Wisdom of Which Crowd?”, whose conclusions seemed to support my own research whilst adding some information of which I wasn’t aware - always a good sign!
Then, reading the book from cover to cover, I found it to be a veritable vade mecum of the internet and its social consequences, with a wealth of information for the researcher and the authors suggesting lots of opportunities for further research, including social media and big data.
Some fascinating chapters on less publicised areas of work cover the Thai silk industry and the Sudanese labour market, both of which reveal the unrealistic expectations and limited potential of what change the internet is capable of delivering in the less developed world.
The editors also include a chapter on legal aspects of the cloud - not an particularly easy area to disseminate and one that changes very quickly, but at least such a sexy topic (for professionals) is raised and covered well within the space constraints. Similarly the currently topical issue of governance and social media is sensibly dealt with. The final chapter takes us on to the future and the semantic or ‘linked data’ web - who knows what will happen to future incarnations, but some tentative views are offered.
Overall a useful book for the university or college library, and anyone else to dip in and out of. How easily it will date - who knows?
Reviewed by Dr Mick Phythian MBCS CITP
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews