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Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement, and Interaction
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by James E. Katz and Ronald E. Rice
Sales Rank: 861134
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List Price: $58.00
$46.40
At Amazon
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Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press September 9, 2002
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0262112698
ISBN-13: 978-0262112697
Product Dimensions:
9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
Product Description
Drawing on nationally representative telephone surveys conducted from 1995 to 2000, James Katz and Ronald Rice offer a rich and nuanced picture of Internet use in America. Using quantitative data, as well as case studies of Web sites, they explore the impact of the Internet on society from three perspectives: access to Internet technology (the digital divide), involvement with groups and communities through the Internet (social capital), and use of the Internet for social interaction and expression (identity). To provide a more comprehensive account of Internet use, the authors draw comparisons across media and include Internet nonusers and former users in their research.
The authors call their research the Syntopia Project to convey the Internet's role as one among a host of communication technologies as well as the synergy between people's online activities and their real-world lives. Their major finding is that Americans use the Internet as an extension and enhancement of their daily routines. Contrary to media sensationalism, the Internet is neither a utopia, liberating people to form a global egalitarian community, nor a dystopia-producing armies of disembodied, lonely individuals. Like any form of communication, it is as helpful or harmful as those who use it.
About The Author
James E. Katz is Chair of the Department of Communication at Rutgers University and director of the Center for Mobile Communication Studies. He is the author of Magic in the Air: Mobile Communication and the Transformation of Social Life and coauthor of Social Consequences of Internet Use (MIT Press, 2002).
Ronald E. Rice is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication in the School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers University.
Customer Reviews & Comments
Katz and Rice present an arguement for their belief that the growth of the internet should be seen as a syntopian revolution, meaning that the consequences of the new technology are neither completely beneficial (utopian) or completely distructive (dystopian) but instead the technology is part of a larger sphere that helps and often enables more positive forms of communication and involvement. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the internet that could either hinder or help the socialization of the internet, such as digital awareness (the digital divide), the effects of increased internet use on the amount of time spent in community involvement, and the political benefits and detractors of a completely wireless world. I thought Katz and Rice presented a well developed thesis that counteracted the opposing views well when taken at face value. They analyzed the confounding variables in the research which adds validity to their position, and they used simple logic that appeals to even the guy who has never seen a computer. But I also detected a bit of bias in their research and their presentation of their arguement. This book must be read carefully and the information presented must not be adopted unless critically analyzed. Many of the statistics were based on correlational studies that can not show cause. The statistics are also somewhat out of date despite the fact that the last survey took place just three years ago. With such an innovative topic as technology current data is crucial to the support of an arguement. I would not recommend this book to a person who is not familiar with statistical studies because much of the argument is based around statistical surveys, and the information can be hard to swallow if you dont know what standard deviation means. i would also not recommend this book to anyone who is not already familiar with the internet and its social consequences because Katz and Rice do a good job of weaving their perspective into the chapters throughout the book and only the keen observer will recognize that there are some weak arguements and some counter supportive data in the book. Overall, I believe that this book adds strong support for the positive effects of the internet on our lives, but only when the book is read with a critical eye that always analyzes and reanalyzes Katz and Rice's method of persuasion.
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Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement, and Interaction
List Price: $58.00
Available from Amazon
Price: $46.40
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