The Word of Mouse: New Age of Networked Media [Hardcover]

Jim Banister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2004

An essential guide to how the rapid convergence of media and digital technology will unfold over the coming years, and how our conceptions of “programming” and “consumers” will be transformed by the increasing primacy of networked media. Jim Banister provides cogent analyses of how and why certain high-profile “internet” companies have become models; outlines what different kinds of businesses need to do in order to harness the still largely untapped potential of networked media; and shows why the entertainment industry’s efforts to resist the changes in consumer behavior are misguided at best, and doomed at worst. This is a must-read for everyone from business and media professionals to regular consumers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Banister, a media industry consultant, suggests that networked media—most especially, the Internet—is still in its earliest stages, with greater levels of connectivity yet to come. His argument, though rich in McLuhanesque theory, has a foundation solid enough for any bottom-line businessman to grasp: successful companies need to create "communities" of consumers who possess the "symphonic literacy" to fully participate in new forms of media while the companies find ways to turn that participation into a financial transaction. Some elements, such as access to the network, may go down in price or even become free, as companies are forced to respond to consumer expectations. The online auction site eBay is held up as a "near-perfect paradigm" of the networked experience, but Banister also points toward the entertainment industry, where electronic gamers are already discovering interactive "storyforming" and "storydwelling." The future gazing takes an odd turn, though, when Banister starts enthusing about "a living or conscious web of man," the next stage of evolution, which will change us into "humanodes," consuming and producing media with equal agility. A proclamation that networked media are "feminine" and will restore a transcendental cultural balance may alienate readers who simply want a financial edge. Readers of Wired magazine will find it all old hat, while the subject and corporate emphasis will be of limited appeal to a general audience.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Banister is a veteran media industry executive, who has worked with Disney, Spielberg, and Warner Brothers, but his grasp of the potential of digital technology seems more akin to the latest generation of gamers and programmers. Every new medium has changed the way we relate to each other and the world. With the advent of the Internet--a networked medium--the very definition of media is being challenged, and Banister believes that we have yet to fully conceive of the profound implications that this form of communication will have on human interaction and consciousness. Rather than a passive consumer of programming dictated by others, the Internet user for the first time becomes an interactive participant in the medium, a human node on a network of producers, marketers, distributors, and vendors of products and services. Already, millions sell products on eBay, share thoughts with the world on Web logs (or "blogs"), and assist in a multitude of complex technical issues on public forums. Banister presents an astounding vision of cocreation and empowerment in the decades ahead. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Agate B2 (August 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972456260
• ISBN-13: 978-0972456265
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing survey of evolving programming, February 7, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Word of Mouse: New Age of Networked Media (Hardcover)

As more and more devices develop networking capabilities, from computers to games, mobile phones, television and household appliances, the network idea is ever expanded: but how does programming expand with it, to create a flow through the network. Jim Banister is a veteran industry media executive working with big companies such as Disney and Time Warner: his survey analyzes the success stories of internet companies which have become models for networking, outlines the potentials of networked media, and tells businesses how to tap into this potential. Word Of Mouse: The New Age Of Networked Media is a very highly recommended and intriguing survey of evolving programming - and its potentials.

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading, November 7, 2010

By 

Thomas K. Meyer (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Word of Mouse: New Age of Networked Media (Hardcover)

Impressive reading for technophiles! Great analysis of our new, networked world and what it means to business and all of us. Thanks to corp exec Kimber for turning me on to this book!

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, October 10, 2004

By 

D. Henry (California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Word of Mouse: New Age of Networked Media (Hardcover)

Banister sees it and has captured it in a book. If you have any interest at all in how networked media is changing our world and how to prepare for it, you must read this book.