Castells and the Media: Theory and Media: 2 - Softcover

"Howard has traced for us the often invisible elements of an intellectual trajectory by a major thinker on the new technologies. It is a wonderful and often surprising account - bringing to life the multiple and messy ways in which these new technologies are shaped, sharpened, undermined by the social conditions within which they get used." Saskia Sassen, Columbia University and author of Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages "The network perspective is proving to be the most important contemporary frame with which to understand the forces shaping technology, economics and society in the 21st century. Howard provides a clear, comprehensive and critical explanation of the work of the world's pre-eminent network theorist, Manuel Castells. Using accessible language the reader is introduced to Castells' ideas about media, globalization, digitalization, and, most importantly, power. Castells and the Media shows just how important and central Castells is for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary society and media." Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago "Howard's Castells and the Media offers a comprehensive introduction to the work of one of the key social scientists of our time pertaining to the study of media. This is a highly readable and inviting text, engaging students with a warm welcome to Castells' work." Mark Deuze, Indiana University

One of the most prolific and respected scholars today, Manuel Castells has given us a new language for understanding the impact of information and communication technologies on social life. Politicians can no longer run for office without a digital media strategy, new communication technologies are a fundamental infrastructure for the economy, and the internet has become an invaluable tool for cultural production and consumption. Yet as more of our political, economic, and cultural interaction occurs over digital media, the ability to create and manipulate both content and networks becomes real power. Castells and the Media introduces a great thinker, presents original theories about the network society, and encourages readers to use these theories to help them understand the importance of digital media and social networks in their own lives.