Communication, Technology and Cultural Change
With a foreword by Norman Denzin Communication and the history of technology have invariably been examined in terms of artefacts and people. Gary Krug argues that communication technology must be studied as an integral part of culture and lived-experience. Rather than stand in awe of the apparent explosion of new technologies, this book links key moments and developments in communication technology with the social conditions of their time. It traces the evolution of technology, culture, and the self as mutually dependent and influential. This innovative approach will be welcomed by undergraduates and postgraduates needing to develop their understanding of the cultural effects of communication technology, and the history of key communication systems and techniques.… More >>
Communication, Technology and Cultural Change
Tagged with: Change • Communication • Cultural • Technology
The crucial importance of Krug’s book for me was how it managed to merge my personal experience of contemporary life with the highly stimulating intellectual work of analysis, social and political theory, and philosophy. As I traveled through the book (which indeed was a journey covering history and many developments in ‘media’ that have affected human beings), I found myself integrating and deepening my thoughts and reactions to life. This is a precious and euphoric experience which few books can provide. The book confirmed many of my gut responses and hunches regarding our ‘mediated’ realities, especially the internet and the use of email. Krug pulls together so many fascinating thinkers integrating “place,” “social space,” “letter writing,” “censorship,” “surveillance,” “pornography,” and our society’s response to 9-11. It is a brilliant book that I will use as a reference for years to come. Krug proves through his astute, politically constrained yet equally politically pointed thoughts that the internet isn’t what it’s cut out to be and that communication and community truly begin and end with face to face contact situated in a physical space.