Cyberspace Divide: Agency, Equality and Autonomy in the Information Society

Synopsis

The dramatic advances in computer and telecommunications technologies such as the Internet, virtual reality,smart cards or multimedia applications are increasingly regarded as ushering in a new form of society: the Information Society. Politicians, policy makers and business gurus are all encouraging us to join the information superhighway at the nearest junction or risk being excluded from the social and economic benefits of the information revolution. Cyberspace Divide critically considers the complex relationship between technological change, its effect upon social divisions, its consequences for social action and the emerging strategies for social inclusion in the Information Age. This book analyses issues of agency, autonomy and equality as they are affected by global communications networks and information technologies. The contributors discuss such themes as human interaction, ethical behaviour, power relationships and gender divisions as well as the growing disparity between the information rich and the information poor. Also contrasted are the policy formulations by nation-states and trading areas such as the EU and China. Cyberspace Divide will be invaluable reading for those studying social policy, sociology, computing and communication studies. Brian D. Loader, Community Informatics Research & Applications Unit (CIRA), University of Teesside; Alison Adam, UMIST Alessandro Aurigi, Centre for Urban Technology (CUT), Newcas