Have we lost the visions that fuel Internet Studies?
Society
Value Tradeoffs for a Cashless Society
A recent news story (Sunday Times 6 June 2021) highlighted the potential for Sweden to lead the way to a ‘cashless’ future.[1] Not surprising in the context of so many observable trends moving in this direction. However, it reminded me of the early forecasts of a cashless society that were debated in the 1970s, and sense, … Continue reading Value Tradeoffs for a Cashless Society
Society and the Internet
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the Internet and related social media and digital technologies to the forefront of societies across the globe. Whether in supporting social distancing, working at home, or online courses, people are increasingly dependent on online media for everyday life and work. If you are teaching courses on the social aspects of … Continue reading Society and the Internet
Society and the Internet
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the Internet and related social media and digital technologies to the forefront of societies across the globe. Whether in supporting social distancing, working at home, or online courses, people are increasingly dependent on online media for everyday life and work. If you are teaching courses on the social aspects of … Continue reading Society and the Internet
Society and the Internet, 2nd Edition
It is such a pleasure to see the publication today of the second edition of Society and the Internet by Oxford University Press. My co-editor, Mark Graham, and I worked long and hard to assemble a wonderful set of authors to build on the first edition. The success of the original volume led to this … Continue reading Society and the Internet, 2nd Edition
Society and the Internet’s 2nd Edition
The 2nd Edition of Society and the Internet should be out in July 2019. You can access information about the book from OUP here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/society-and-the-internet-9780198843504?lang=en&cc=de With the academic year fast approaching, we are hoping that the book will be useful for many courses around Internet studies, new media, and media and society. If you are teaching in this … Continue reading Society and the Internet’s 2nd Edition
Kafka Wins in Poll
Whether the work of Franz Kafka remains relevant to understanding politics and bureaucracy in the digital age has just receive a boost from a ‘Twitter poll’ I conducted for the fun of it. I asked: “to understand contemporary world developments, should one study: Hobbes, Rousseau, Orwell, or Kafka? The findings, of course, have no scientific … Continue reading Kafka Wins in Poll
Joining Editorial Board of Internet Histories
Delighted to be joining the editorial board of an exciting new journal, Internet Histories: Digital Technology, Culture & Society. You may have seen a special issue of Information & Culture that I helped edit and contributed to: Guest Editor: Haigh, T., Russell, A. and Dutton, W. H. (2015) (eds), ‘Histories of the Internet’, special issue for the … Continue reading Joining Editorial Board of Internet Histories
New MSU Course: Social Dynamics of the Internet
This fall semester at MSU, I'll be teaching a new course MI 401, which is right at the center of my work over the last decade, if not my entire career. It is entitled 'Social Dynamics of the Internet' - the latest incarnation of a course I designed in 1980 on the social dynamics of … Continue reading New MSU Course: Social Dynamics of the Internet
Information Communication and Society
Our journal, Information Communication and Society (iCS), has had a step-jump in its readership and role in the field over the last several years. The editor, Brian Loader, and I were recalling our first meeting in the late 1990s, when Brian first proposed the journal. We are in the midst of the 16th volume with … Continue reading Information Communication and Society