ABSTRACT

There has been much debate over the idea of 'the information society'. Some thinkers have argued that information is becoming the key ordering principle in society, whereas others suggest that the rise of information has been overstated. Whatever the case, it cannot be denied that 'informization' has produced vast changes in advanced societies. The Information Society Reader pulls together the main contributions to this debate from some of the key figures in the field. Major topics addressed include:

* post-industrialism
* surveillance
* transformations
* the network society
* democracy
* digital divisions
* virtual relations.

With a comprehensive introduction from Frank Webster, selections from Manuel Castells, Anthony Giddens, Michel Foucault and Christopher Lasch amongst others, and section introductions contextualising the readings, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and academics studying contemporary society and all things cyber.

part One|72 pages

The Information Society

part |29 pages

Advocates

chapter Chapter 1|6 pages

Image of the Future Information Society

chapter Chapter 2|10 pages

Living on Thin Air

part |38 pages

Critics

chapter Chapter 4|10 pages

Who Will We Be in Cyberspace?

Who Will We Be In Cyberspace?

chapter Chapter 5|7 pages

The Cult of Information

chapter Chapter 6|19 pages

The Long History of the Information Revolution

The Long History Of The Information Revolution

part Two|52 pages

Post-Industrial Society

chapter Chapter 7|17 pages

Post-Industrial Society

part Three|51 pages

The Network Society

part Four|69 pages

Transformations

chapter Chapter 13|14 pages

Mobile Sociology1

chapter 14|8 pages

The Three Jobs of the Future

chapter Chapter 15|25 pages

The Economic Structure of Knowledge Societies

chapter Chapter 16|17 pages

Forms of Technological Embodiment

part Five|42 pages

Divisions

chapter Chapter 17|13 pages

Data Deprivation

chapter Chapter 18|14 pages

The Digital Divide

chapter Chapter 19|10 pages

The Degradation of the Practical Arts

part Six|48 pages

Surveillance

chapter Chapter 20|11 pages

Panopticism

chapter Chapter 22|18 pages

New Directions in Theory

part Seven|48 pages

Democracy

chapter Chapter 23|7 pages

The Public Sphere

chapter Chapter 24|9 pages

The Media and the Public Sphere

chapter Chapter 25|13 pages

Structural Transformations of the Public Sphere

chapter |14 pages

The Virtual Sphere

The internet as a public sphere

part Eight|46 pages

Virtualities

chapter Chapter 27|13 pages

The Mode of Information and Postmodernity

chapter Chapter 28|13 pages

For a Cultural Future

chapter Chapter 29|15 pages

The Future Looms

Weaving women and cybernetics