Frank Webster

Responsibility in Visual Communication

The New Photography

Gary Browning

Abigail Halcli

Understanding Contemporary Society: Theories of the Present is a comprehensive textbook to guide students through the complexities of social theory today. Over 30 chapters, written by an international team of contributors, demonstrate clearly the practical applications of social theory in making sense of the modern world. Students are both introduced to the most significant theories and guided through the major social developments which shape our lives. Key features of the book are: clearly structured and readable prose; bullet pointed summaries and annotated further reading for each topic; makes complex issues accessible to undergraduates; focuses on relevance and practicality; chapter lay-out which is ideal for t

Theories of the Present

Understanding Contemporary Society

Professor Frank Webster

Information has come to be regarded as a symbol of the age in which we live. Talk nowadays is of an `information technology' revolution, even of an `information society'. But just what does this mean? In Theories of the Information Society Frank Webster sets out to make sense of the information explosion. He examines and assesses a variety of `images of the information society', and takes a sceptical look at what thinkers mean when they do refer to an `information society'. He looks closely at different approaches to informational developments, and provides critical commentaries on all the major post-war theories.

Theories of the Information Society

Airship Andy: or, The Luck of a Brave Boy

Ensio Puoskari

Erkki Karvonen

Kaarle Nordenstreng

with Raimo Blom

Harri Melin

There has been much debate over the idea of 'the information society'. Some thinkers have argued that information is becoming the key ordering principle in society, whereas others suggest that the rise of information has been overstated. Whatever the case, it cannot be denied that 'informization' has produced vast changes in advanced societies. The Information Society Reader pulls together the main contributions to this debate from some of the key figures in the field. Major topics addressed include: * post-industrialism * surveillance * transformations * the network society * democracy * digital divisions * virtual relations. With a comprehensive introduction from Frank Webster, selections from Manuel Castells, Anthony Giddens, Michel Foucault and Christopher Lasch amongst others, and section introductions contextualising the readings, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and academics studying contemporary society and all things cyber.

The Information Society Reader

Popular opinion suggests that information has become a distinguishing feature of the modern world. Where once economies were built on industry and conquest, we are now instead said to be part of a global information economy. In this new and thoroughly revised edition of his popular book, author Webster brings his work up-to-date both with new theoretical work and with social and technological changes - such as the rapid growth of the internet and accelerated globalization - and reassesses the work of key theorists in light of these changes. This book is essential reading for students of contemporary social theory and anybody interested in social and technological change in the post-war era.

David Pepper

George Revill

Critical Concepts

Environmentalism

Basil Dimitriou

These volumes bring together major critical responses to, and engagement with, the work of Manuel Castells. Arguably the leading analyst of the current age, Castells' magnum opus, The Information Age, has been compared to the work of Karl Marx and Max Weber. His concept of `the network society' has influenced much recent social science and his ideas have been adopted in political and policy circles. The volumes provide an unparalleled guide to the work of Castells. They demonstrate the roots of his thinking in Marxism and the shifts in his perspective. The selection if based along two principles: the chronological development of his thought and the sequence of his major publications. Included here are critical engagements with Castells' work on the urban question, the city and grassroots; Marxism; the Information Age; the network society; power and identity; the new economy; and the sociology of social movements. Volume 1: Marxism, France and `The Urban Question' to `The City and the Grassroots' This volume addresses Castells' engagement with the study of urban social movements; protest in urban politics; collective consumption; states, markets and welfare; urban sociology; and class Volume 2: From the Informational City to the Information Age This volume examines the theorizing of new industrial-urban space; the dynamics of urban change; the roots of the network society; the failure of social theory; resisting globalization; the development of global thinking; globalization and identity. Volume 3: The Information Age This volume addresses the character of information technologies; the political economy of network society; inequality and modernization in the information age; the self and the net; space flows and timeless space; contested power; grassroots environmental movements; cognitions, emotions and identities; digital commerce; and technology and cultural power.

Manuel Castells: From the informational city to the information age

Kirstie Ball

Our public and private lives are under surveillance as never before. Whether we are shopping with a credit card, walking down the street or emailing a colleague at work, our activities are closely monitored.Since September 11th 2001, surveillance has intensified further. Yet although individuals, groups, governments and states are more closely monitored, our security is not assured.This book explores the vast range of issues related to increased surveillance. What is going on in an area clouded by secrecy from the state and complacent reassurances from corporations? How do we track suspects and combat crime without also eroding our civil liberties and sacrificing our rights to privacy? Does electronic tagging of prisoners work? What are retailers up to with 'lifestyle profiling'?Focusing on these and other issues such as paedophilia, money-laundering, information warfare, cybercrime, and related legislation, this book spotlights benefits and costs of surveillance, and suggests how it is likely to develop in the future.

Crime, Terrorism and Warfare in the Information Ag

The Intensification of Surveillance

Kevin Robins

Times of the Technoculture explores the social and cultural impact of new technologies, tracing the origins of the information society from the coming of the machine with the industrial revolution to the development of mass production techniques in the early twentieth century. The authors look at how the military has controlled the development of the information society, and consider the centrality of education in government attempts to create a knowledge society. Engaging in contemporary debates surrounding the internet, Robins and Webster question whether it can really offer us a new world of virtual communities, and suggest more radical alternatives to the corporate agenda of contemporary technologies.

From the Information Society to the Virtual Life

Times of the Technoculture

Raimo Blom

Pulling together contributions to the information society debate from some of the field's key figures, this book addresses and examines key topics, and provides an invaluable resource for students and academics alike.

Frank Webster

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