Misunderstanding the Internet by James Curran, Natalie Fenton... - 9781138906204

Taylor & Francis

Misunderstanding the InternetAuthor(s): James Curran, Natalie Fenton, Des Freedman\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9781138906204, 978-1138906204\nSynopsis\nThe growth of the internet has been spectacular. There are now more than 3 billion internet users across the globe, some 40 per cent of the worlds population. The internets meteoric rise is a phenomenon of enormous significance for the economic, political and social life of contemporary societies. \n\nHowever, much popular and academic writing about the internet continues to take a celebratory view, assuming that the internets potential will be realised in essentially positive and transformative ways. This was especially true in the euphoric moment of the mid-1990s, when many commentators wrote about the internet with awe and wonderment. While this moment may be over, its underlying technocentrism the belief that technology determines outcomes lingers on and, w.