The Network Nation: Human Communication Via Computer - Hardcover

"The Network Nation ... contained a fascinating vision. In it home computers are as common as the telephone. They link person to person, shrinking, as the authors put it, time and distance barriers among people, and between people and information, to near zero.' In its simplest form, the Network Nation is a place where thoughts are exchanged easily and democratically and intellect affords one more personal power than a pleasing appearance does. Minorities and women compete on equal terms with white males, and the elderly and handicapped are released from the confines of their infirmities to skim the electronic terrain as swiftly as anyone else."- Teresa Carpenter, "Village Voice"

"The Network Nation" has become a standard reference for the field of computer mediated communication (CMC). This revised edition adds a substantial new chapter on "superconnectivity" (invented and defined in the unabridged edition of the "Online Dictionary of the English Lanaguage, 2067" that reviews the developments of the last 15 years and updates the authors' speculations about the future. Hiltz and Turoff highlight major current organizational, educational, and public applications of CMC, integrate their theoretical understanding of the impact of CMC technology, address ethical and legal issues, and describe a scenario in 2084.