An Introduction to Cybercultures (Paperback)

by David Bell (Author) "SITTING HERE, AT MY COMPUTER, pondering how to start this book, how to introduce my own 'walkabout' in cyberspace, I find myself struggling..." (more)
Key Phrases: William Gibson, Love Bug, Star Trek (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...this book is a useful introduction to the theoretical underpinnings of that niche of academic cultural studies that addresses technology...Bell's approach yields a useful primer of the fundamentals of cultural theory as applied to the subjects in and about computer technology.
–Claire Hoertz Badaracco, Marquette University Communication Research Trends, Spring 2003

...this book is a useful introduction to the theoretical underpinnings of that niche of academic cultural studies that addresses technology...Bells approach yields a useful primer of the fundamentals of cultural theory as applied to the subjects in and about computer technology.
–Claire Hoertz Badaracco, Marquette University Communication Research Trends, Spring 2003

Product Description
An Introduction to Cybercultures provides an accessible guide to the major forms, practices and meanings of this rapidly growing field. From the evolution of hardware and software to the emergence of cyberpunk, film and fiction, David Bell introduces readers to the key aspects of cyberculture, including email, the internet, digital imaging tecnologies, computer games and digital special effects.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1st edition (January 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415246598
• ISBN-13: 978-0415246590
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #857,028 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tries to see the future, March 3, 2004

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: An Introduction to Cybercultures (Library Binding)

So here you are in the 21st century. And you still don't look like the Jetsons. But perhaps you want to see what is coming down the pike?

The book offers suggestions on the future, by examining the so-called cyberculture. A nonlinear blend of fact and cyberpunk science fiction. The facts include trends in hardware and software engineering. Plus the social usages of these. Like the rise of massive multiplayer environments (Everquest etc). And how people voluntarily immerse themselves in these in an addictive wirehead mode. Where wirehead is a term borrowed from science fiction of the 1980s and earlier, when this behaviour was predicted.

The book examines the rise of a new type of community, mainly extent on the Web, comprised of people, most of whom will never meet in person. How exotic this would have seemed in the 1970s. Yet this has crept up on us. Is this a harbinger? Will people withdraw into themselves and their net connections? Such issues are speculated upon in the book.

As you can imagine, the book span many fields, including sociology, psychology, computer science and science fiction. Worth a perusal.