The Internet, Power and Society: Rethinking the Power of the Internet to Change Lives (Chandos Information Professional Series)

An exciting challenge to how the internet and ICT have been understood in academia and popular culture and shows how important 'cultural' assumptions are in how we understand technology. The Internet, Power and Society argues that the way in which we view technology such as the internet owes much to older, historic views of the media and to 'issues' in contemporary society. Such perspectives are deeply rooted in a Western view of technology and the book concludes by offering a radically new perspective as to how the internet can change a society that is truly global in its application. An original approach to ICT and the Internet that challenges the orthodoxy Very topical subject matter - the book addresses many of the issues regarded of key import in high level political discussions (such as the World Summit on the Information Society); the current understanding of ICT and how to move beyond this interpretation An approach that moves the debate forward and offers a truly global way of understanding the Internet and ICT This book combines a fresh interpretation of the Internet and ICT (Information and Communications Technology), with a new approach for their understanding. It offers an exciting challenge to how the Internet and ICT have been understood in academia and popular culture and shows how important 'cultural' assumptions are in how we understand technology. It argues that the way in which we view technology such as the Internet owes much to older, historic views of the media and to 'issues' in contemporary society. Such perspectives are deeply rooted in a Western view of technology and the book concludes by offering a radically new perspective as to how the Internet can change society that is truly global in its application. This title offers an original approach to ICT and the Internet that challenges the orthodoxy. Very topical subject matter - the book addresses many of the issues regarded of key import in high level political discussions (such as the World Summit on the Information Society); the current understanding of ICT and how to move beyond this interpretation, acknowledging the imprint of western values in interpretations and developing a more heterogeneous understanding of ICT. It provides an approach that moves the debate forward and offers a truly global way of understanding the Internet and ICT. It is a wide-ranging text that explores how we currently understand the Internet and ICT Content: Front matter , Pages i-iii Copyright , Page iv List of tables , Page ix About the author , Page xi Acknowledgements , Pages xiii-xiv List of acronyms , Page xv 1 - Introduction , Pages 1-13 2 - Theories of technology and society , Pages 17-40 3 - The idea of the internet , Pages 41-63 4 - The internet, politics and the public sphere , Pages 65-85 5 - Politics and the role of the internet , Pages 87-107 6 - Social form and media potency – the processes of modernisation , Pages 111-132 7 - The internet and society: reconsidering the link , Pages 133-152 8 - Conclusion , Pages 153-164 References , Pages 165-189 Index , Pages 191-193 "This book shows how important 'cultural' assumptions are in how we understand technology. The Internet, Power and Society argues that the way in which we view technology such as the Internet owes much to older, historic views of the media and to 'issues' in contemporary society. Such perspectives are deeply rooted in a Western view of technology and the book concludes by offering a radically new perspective as to how the Internet can change society that is truly global in its application."--Jacket Includes Bibliographical References (p. 165-189) And Index.