The Rise of the Network Society: (Information Age Series) (Vol 1)

This book is an account of the economic and social dynamics of the new age of information. Based on research in 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.

The global economy is now characterized by the almost instantaneous flow and exchange of information, capital and cultural communication. These flows order and condition both consumption and production. The networks themselves reflect and create distinctive cultures. Both they and the traffic they carry are largely outside national regulation. Our dependence on the new modes of informational flow gives enormous power to those in a position to control them to control us. The main political arena is now the media, and the media are not politically answerable.

The newer 2009 edition of this item is available at: www.amazon.com/The-Rise-Network-Society-Information/dp/1405196866/ref=dp_ob_title_bk