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Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement, and Interaction
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Author: James E. Katz, Ronald E. Rice
List Price: $55.00
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0262112698
Publisher: MIT Press (09 September, 2002)
Edition: Hardcover
Sales Rank: 429,545
Average Customer Rating: 3.55 out of 5
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Customer ReviewsRating: 4 out of 5
An Attempt to Distill Order from Chaos
The main focus of this book is to examine the body of data currently available on the Internet, and determine the effects of this new medium. While my fellow reviewers have covered the general thrust of the book, I might note a few factors that make this book especially interesting.
Katz and Rice refuse to fall into the familiar trap of arguing for either extreme (Internet=unqualified bad or Internet=unqualified good), which introduces their "syntopian" view of the Internet. While very compelling, their argument lacks the sort of forward-looking that would make it airtight. However, it was not the purpose of the book, I think, to predict as much as it is to see what can be seen with what we know.
Furthermore, due to the very current subject matter dealt with, the information is constantly being revised and updated. As an example of how this can be problematic, consider the multiplier effect inherent to the Internet- the more people involved, the greater (in an exponential sense) are the benefits. If there is a "critical mass" that would make the Internet truly revolutionary, it could be that we simply haven't reached it yet. Thus, all the conclusions drawn now may be utterly useless; we may well have to wait until access approaches the totality mark.
To sum up: the book does an excellent job of looking at the Internet as it stands now, with no bias to either major extreme- but with a definite bias to the middle road, which may be problematic to some readers.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Useful
Katz and Rice's Social Consequences of Internet Use examines the impact of the Internet on today's society through analysis of nationally representative telephone surveys and case studies. Their study of the Internet is focused on three main issues: access, involvement, and interaction. In a lengthy and thorough account of almost 500 pages, Katz and Rice explore a wide range of Internet phenomena including personal web pages, listservs, and online message boards.
The argument presented in Social Consequences of Internet Use is that the Internet's effects on society are neither utopian nor dystopian, but rather are what the authors term "syntopian" expressing a sort of balance between the two extremes. They assert that the primary use of the Internet by Americans is as "an extension and enhancement of their daily routines". This is contrary to what has been predicted in other writings such as Rheingold's Smart Mobs, and in my opinion, is much closer to the reality of modern Internet use. They present extensive data to support their claim. The data is only correlational however its sheer magnitude makes it nonetheless compelling. The authors spend considerable effort defining what they mean by access, involvement, and interaction and the questions that each pose, i.e. "What differences in kinds of access occur across socioeconomic social groups? In what sorts of online political activities do Internet users engage, and how much is that engagement explained by demographic variables? Can online social activity and creativity translate into meaningful friendships and relationships? In doing so, they are able to build a solid basis for their argument.
This book would be most useful to someone who wishes to seriously study the Internet and its effects on society. It is based primarily on empirical research and can be at times quite difficult to get through. The tables and anecdotal boxes do help to make the chapters more understandable and enjoyable, but I would not recommend this book to someone without some familiarity with statistics. The authors are the first to look at a number of trends such as the differences between users and nonusers, those who are aware of the Internet and those who are not, and Internet dropouts and those who continue to use the Internet. However, the authors completed their research in 2000, and some of their information is already outdated. The authors also fail to address the issue of mobile wireless Internet technology, a technology that has great potential for social transformation. Despite these weaknesses, Katz and Rice present a solid analysis of the social consequences of Internet use in American society that is difficult to refute.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Social Consequences of ZZZZZZZZ........
Katz and Rice present us with a book defining the internet as neither utopian nor dystopian, but "syntopian", asserting the internet "can foster both virtue and sin"(Katz and Rice, 354). This middle-of-the-road stance is both a logical and a safe one. However, throughout this book, various arguments are made using antiquated data sets (Pew Internet data set, etc) that cannot prove causation, only correlation. The samples are not representative in respect to race, socioeconomic status, and chronology (2 years in the world of computer technology is a decade elsewhere). Critical readers will see the slant the authors portray in the presentation of the data, emphasizing correlations that support their point while downplaying those that contradict. Supposition presents an argument that the common reader may interpret as fact. Be Aware.On a different note, the book itself has thick syntax and many statistical tables that make this book great for research but poor for leisurely reading. Find a quiet place with no distractions and a dictionary to battle your way through the text.
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