Book Summary:
Most of us missed its first words and baby steps, meeting the Internet only during its long and cranky adolescence. Journalist Wendy M. Grossman explores its transition to mature technology in From Anarchy to Power: The Net Comes of Age, an overview of the political and corporate wrangling that accompanies its explosive growth. Writing with that odd mixture of cynical realism and earnest optimism that characterizes many of the better observers of technoculture, she makes a strong case for letting the Net grow up on its own terms. Equally wary of plays for control from both governmental and corporate entities, she asks readers to think critically and exercise their rights as citizens and consumers to ensure that it stays relatively free and worthwhile for all. Looking at examples of recent phenomena such as the Open Source revolution, the browser wars, and Matt Drudge's contributions to journalism, Grossman finds the risk of power consolidation nearly everywhere. She has a shameless pro-nerd bias (seen in her choice of quotes and shout-outs), though she does rub shoulders with plenty of suits as well. From Anarchy to Power, not quite strident enough to be a manifesto, still passes on a sense of urgency to its readers that can't--and oughtn't--be ignored. --Rob Lightner Both newbies (newcomers to the Internet) and Netizens (old-timers) will find challenges and rewards in this witty, knowledgeable, and timely report from the electronic front.
—Publishers Weekly "Vividly describes the virtual realm as a place of interconnecting communities every bitas complicated, exciting, and dangerous as any city."
—Booklist "A pleasant antidote to the breathless rhetoric one finds in many books and magazines devoted to computer culture."
—Technology Review "Grossman brings a wealth of professional and personal experience to the material-and a clarity of style and analysis that is a welcome relief from both the hyperbolic prose of many Net boosters and the overwrought jeremiads of cyberphobes."
—Reason "There is a lot to like about this survey, especially the diligent research and reading the author has invested in it. The endnotes are vast and informative...From Anarchy to Power gathers strengh as it goes along."
—The Christian Century "An informative exploration into many of the issues and problems that plague the Net today...From Anarchy to Power is a must read."
— ComputerUser.comcompanion website: http://www.nyupress.org/fap Yesterday's battles over internet turf were fought on the net itself: today's battles are fought in government committees, in Congress, on the stock exchange, and in the marketplace. What was once an experimental ground for electronic commerce is now the hottest part of our economic infrastructure. In From Anarchy to Power, Wendy Grossman explores the new dispensation on the net and tackles the questions that trouble every online user: How vulnerable are the internet and world wide web to malicious cyber hackers? What are the limits of privacy online? How real is internet addiction and to what extent is the news media responsible for this phenomenon? Are women and minorities at a disadvantage in cyberspace? How is the increasing power of big business changing internet culture? We learn about the political economy of the internet including issues of copyright law, corporate control and cryptography legislation. Throughout the book the emphasis is on the international dimensions of the net, focusing on privacy and censorship in the United States, Europe and Canada and the hitherto ignored contributions of other countries in the development of the net. Entertaining and informative From Anarchy to Power is required reading for anyone who wants to know where the new digital economy is heading. |