The World Wide Web and Contemporary Cultural Theory : Magic, Metaphor, Power [Paperback]

Andrew Herman (Editor), Thomas Swiss (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415925029 | ISBN-13: 978-0415925020 | Publication Date: June 2000 | Edition: 1

Engaging the thematic issues of the Web as a space where magic, metaphor, and power converge, the chapters cover such subjects as The Web and Corporate Media Systems, Conspiracy Theories and the Web; The Economy of Cyberpromotion, The Bias of the Web, The Web and Issues of Gender, and so on.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The World Wide Web and Contemporary Cultural Theory is part of a welcome academic move toward synthesizing cultural and political economy approaches... the collection as a whole is a more complex and nuanced description of the Web than many recent explorations of new information and technologies. -- Ken Hillis, Topia, A Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies
...a collection of lively, interesting essays examining such matters as the material production of the Web, the nature and circulation of its content, and how it is consumed. -- Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies
The book will be newsworthy for readers interested in a cultural studies approach to Internet-based phenomena. -- Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies
Must reading for any upper-level undergraduate or graduate-level course on computer-mediated communication. -- Choice
It is about time that the Web and the internet are theorized this side of euphoria! The Herman and Swiss collection contains valuable meditations on the impact of the Web on society and culture, shorn of the cheerleading of Wired magazine, Negroponte, Turkle, and Gates. The book is rich in theoretical insight and empirical detail, unfolding from a stage-setting theoretical paper by Robert McChesney that situates the Web in corporate, global capitalism. This chapter alone makes the book worth buying. -- Ben Agger, Enculturation
This book is iseful for poeple trying to derive meaning from the behavior, technology and application of not only the World Wide Web but the associated Internet, as well as electronice media in general. -- Social Science Computer Review
This book is iseful for poeple trying to derive meaning from the behavior, technology and application of not only the World Wide Web but the associated Internet, as well as electronice media in general. -- Social Science Computer Review Wide Web
The opening essay by Robert McChesney is essential reading...the anthology as a whole would be useful to students and scholars from a range of disciplines and levels of study. -- Megan Mullen, Communication Booknotes Quarterly

About the Author

Andrew Herman is Associate Professor of Sociology and Cultural Studies at Drake University. He is the author of The "Better Angels" Of Capitalism: Rhetoric, Narrative and Moral Identity Among Men Of The American Upper Class (Westview, 1998) and the forthcoming book, The "Goods "Life: Consumer Culture and Moral Identity in Contemporary America (Blackwell).
Thomas Swiss is Center for the Humanities Professor of English and Director of the Web-Assisted Curriculum at Drake University. He is the author of two collections of poems, including Rough Cut (Illinois UP, 1997). He is editor or co-editor of a number of books, including Key Terms for Popular Music and Culture (Blackwell, 1999). Herman and Swiss, with John H. Sloop, previously co-edited Mapping The Beat: Contemporary Theory And Popular Music (Blackwell, 1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415925029
• ISBN-13: 978-0415925020
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,404,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars important, August 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The World Wide Web and Contemporary Cultural Theory : Magic, Metaphor, Power (Paperback)

This book is an important contribution to cultural-theoretical analysis of the web. It has an impressive list of contributors and a remarkably cutting edge account of new media. Crucial for anyone trying to think about the web today.