The Internet Power And Society

An exciting challenge to how the internet and ICT have been understood in academia and popular culture and shows how important ‘cultural’ assumptions are in how we understand technology. The Internet, Power and Society argues that the way in which we view technology such as the internet owes much to older, historic views of the media and to ‘issues’ in contemporary society. Such perspectives are deeply rooted in a Western view of technology and the book concludes by offering a radically new perspective as to how the internet can change a society that is truly global in its application. An original approach to ICT and the Internet that challenges the orthodoxy Very topical subject matter - the book addresses many of the issues regarded of key import in high level political discussions (such as the World Summit on the Information Society); the current understanding of ICT and how to move beyond this interpretation An approach that moves the debate forward and offers a truly global way of understanding the Internet and ICT

Power and Authority in Internet Governance investigates the hotly contested role of the state in today's digital society. The book asks: Is the state "back" in internet regulation? If so, what forms are state involvement taking, and with what consequences for the future? The volume includes case studies from across the world and addresses a wide range of issues regarding internet infrastructure, data and content. The book pushes the debate beyond a simplistic dichotomy between liberalism and authoritarianism in order to consider also greater state involvement based on values of democracy and human rights. Seeing internet governance as a complex arena where power is contested among diverse non-state and state actors across local, national, regional and global scales, the book offers a critical and nuanced discussion of how the internet is governed – and how it should be governed. Power and Authority in Internet Governance provides an important resource for researchers across international relations, global governance, science and technology studies and law as well as policymakers and analysts concerned with regulating the global internet.

In this exceptional study, Christian Fuchs discusses how the internet has transformed the lives of human beings and social relationships in contemporary society. By outlining a social theory of the internet and the information society, he demonstrates how the ecological, economic, political, and cultural systems of contemporary society have been transformed by new ICTs. Fuchs highlights how new forms of cooperation and competition are advanced and supported by the internet in subsystems of society and also discusses opportunities and risks of the information society.

This book provides a cutting edge analysis of the rapid rise of China’s network society and reviews recent key developments within China’s internet economy, notably the concepts of “Lucky Money” and E-Business on Wechat, and Crowd-Funding Platforms. It focuses on drawing out the sociological impact of these economic developments, examining among others the bearing of the decentralization of e-business in rural areas. It offers a vital sociological perspective on the development of China’s internet society and how it affects social and professional relations, examining the shift from the traditional Red Envelope Giving Culture to Digital Red Envelope, micro charity 2.0 as well as the Rise of Internet Crowd Funding in China. Combining an up to date analysis of the current state of play of China’s internet society with expertise in the rapidly changing landscape of China’s social media, this book provides key insights into how technology impacts on the communication and movement of population in China, in both social and economic spheres.

"Power and Authority in Internet Governance investigates the hotly contested role of the state in today's digital society. The book asks: is the state "back" in internet regulation? If so, what forms are state involvement taking, and with what consequences for the future? The volume includes case studies from across the world and addresses a wide range of issues regarding internet infrastructure, data and content. The book pushes the debate beyond a simplistic dichotomy between liberalism and authoritarianism in order to consider also greater state involvement based on values of democracy and human rights. Seeing internet governance as a complex arena where power is contested among diverse non-state and state actors across local, national, regional, and global scales, the book offers a critical and nuanced discussion of how the internet is governed - and how it should be governed. Power and Authority in Internet Governance provides an important resource for researchers across international relations, global governance, science and technology studies, and law, as well as policymakers and analysts concerned with regulating the global internet"--

This second edition of Society and the Internet provides key readings for students, scholars, and those interested in understanding the interactions of the Internet and society, introducing new and original contributions examining the escalating concerns around social media, disinformation, big data, and privacy. The chapters are grouped into five focused sections: The Internet in Everyday Life; Digital Rights and Human Rights; Networked Ideas, Politics,and Governance; Networked Businesses, Industries, and Economics; and Technological and Regulatory Histories and Futures. This book will be a valuable resource not only for students and researchers, but foranyone seeking a critical examination of the economic, social, and political factors shaping the Internet and its impact on society.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the manifestations and interrelations of collectivity and power on the internet from a sociological point of view. It addresses questions on how different forms of internet-based collectivities (masses, crowds, movements, communities ) could be understood and differentiated from one another. It presents analyses on the role technical infrastructures of the web play for their formation, how the mobilization and organization of social movements and social protests has changed through social media, how work and decision-making processes are organized in open source communities and why the essential segments of the commercial internet are today concentrated in the hands of a few corporations who dispose over significant economic, infrastructural and rule-setting power.

This title investigates China’s network society, both its online cyber society and offline real world society, by analyzing the trends and social foundations of society as network and the social challenges it poses, as well as structural changes in social space and social interaction. The first part of the book examines how network society in China forms and develops, analyzing the challenges and structural changes it poses. The author studies network power and uncertainties that lies in the supply, flow, and reception of a massive amount of information, revealing how this influences the government's administrative power as well as governance measures to stabilize social cohesion. The second part first discusses the social restructuring and characteristics of network social space in China. Based on case studies of several momentous social events, the spatial change characterized by an integration of absence and presence space and its influence on social interaction and experience is elucidated, including active absence interaction, mediated experience, spatial representation, and social identities of network aggregation. The book will be a crucial reference for scholars and students studying sociology, network sociology, and contemporary Chinese society.