The Network Society - Hardcover

This new edition provides deep interdisciplinary insight into the significance of new media in our lives. It outlines why we need to understand the frictions between increasingly intelligent machines and the desires of human beings. It does so with great clarity, providing a very valuable measured and critical assessment of the process of becoming a network society
Professor Robin Mansell
London School of Economics and Political Science

Jan Van Dijk draws from multiple theoretical perspectives to characterize historical trends across many sectors of network societies. His conclusion - that the Internet and related new media amplify rather than transform an array of global trends - will inform and stimulate debate about the implications of the communication revolution. The Network Society would be an excellent text for courses on the social role of the Internet and related new media
William H. Dutton
Professor of Internet Studies, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

The core concept in this book is network 2.0. In a network 2.0 age, the Internet becomes a key channel for social networking. This book truly recognizes societal changes made by technical improvement in digital media. Each chapter is written in a clear and succinct way. It is strongly recommended as a requirement text for both researchers and policy-makers
Han Woo Park
Department of Media & Communication, YeungNam University, South Korea

Fully revised, this Third Edition covers crucial new issues and updates, including:

· the long history of social media and Web 2.0: why it's not as new as we think

· digital youth culture as a foreshadow of future new media use

· the struggle for control of the internet among Microsoft, Google, Apple and Facebook

· the contribution of media networks to the current financial crisis

· complete update of the literature on the facts, theories, trends and technologies of the internet

· new features for students with boxes of chapter questions, conclusions and boxed explanations of key concepts

This book remains an accessible, comprehensive, must-read introduction to how new media function in contemporary society.