Book description
Our society has gone through a weird, unremarked transition: we ve gone
from regarding the Net as something exotic to something that we take for
granted as a utilitarian necessity, like mains electricity or running
water. In the process we ve been remarkably incurious about its meaning,
significance or cultural implications. Most people have no idea how the
network works, nor any conception of its architecture; and few can
explain why it has been - and continues to be - so uniquely disruptive
in social, economic and cultural contexts. In other words, our society
has become dependent on a utility that it doesn t really understand.
John Naughton has distilled the noisy chatter surrounding the internet s
relentless evolution into nine clear-sighted and accessible areas of
understanding. In doing so he affords everyone the requisite knowledge
to make better use of the technologies and networks around us, and see
lucidly into their future implications. Along the way FROM GUTENBERG TO
ZUCKERBERG covers areas as diverse as the science of complexity, the
economics of abundance, the appeal of disruption and the problematic
nature of intellectual property. FROM GUTENBERG TO ZUCKERBERG gives you
all the conceptual equipment you require to understand the Internet
phenomenon. Our society has gone through a weird, unremarked
transition: we ve gone from regarding the Net as something exotic to
something that we take for granted as a utilitarian necessity, like
mains electricity or running water. In the process we ve been remarkably
incurious about its meaning, significance or cultural implications. Most
people have no idea how the network works, nor any conception of its
architecture; and few can explain why it has been - and continues to be
- so uniquely disruptive in social, economic and cultural contexts. In
other words, our society has become dependent on a utility that it doesn
t really understand. John Naughton has distilled the noisy chatter
surrounding the internet s relentless evolution into nine clear-sighted
and accessible areas of understanding. In doing so he affords everyone
the requisite knowledge to make better use of the technologies and
networks around us, and see lucidly into their future implications.
Along the way FROM GUTENBERG TO ZUCKERBERG covers areas as diverse as
the science of complexity, the economics of abundance, the appeal of
disruption and the problematic nature of intellectual property. FROM
GUTENBERG TO ZUCKERBERG gives you all the conceptual equipment you
require to understand the Internet phenomenon.
