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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If the Internet is your career, this book is for you., September 28, 2005
Janna Quitney Anderson's new book, "Imagining the Internet: Personalities, Predictions, Perspectives," won't be the most interesting reading for the typical Internet user, but anyone who has a vested interest in the future of technology will find that it is a worthwhile resource. Anderson has collected some of the most interesting and insightful quotations from expert technologists, scientists and futurists. The book is serious reading that brings together insights from the experts about the Internet's past and puts them in context of other communications development.
The book's focus is the Internet, but Anderson discusses all types of communications networks that bring relevance to the topic. The Internet is still in its infancy. Comparing it to older communications technologies gives context to its growth. The book gives a great frame of reference for the adoption and integration of revolutionary communications technology like the telegraph or telephone. It's easy to see connections between predictions about Morse Code and early predictions about the Internet. We see the potential the Internet had during its early years, and also see that there's almost unlimited room for change - it can adapt as our needs and abilities grow.
As Anderson leads us through the development of the Internet - from the early ARPANET to the web we know today - she provides numerous predictive quotes from Internet luminaries and stakeholders from the early 90s. She shows us that the experts had the foresight to see both the enormous good that the Internet had the potential to bring as well as the chance for ethical quandaries. The experts saw opportunity for great social interaction and a development of an information economy even before the Internet penetrated mainstream culture. At the same time, the predictions Anderson selected, also show the controversy the Internet can stir-up, including issues of piracy, privacy and security.
Now, not all of the predictions made in the early years of the Internet have come true, but those are included too. The point, it seems, is to chronicle the hype about the Internet as it was being developed, perhaps in the hope of finding trends that might produce some insight into where the Internet could develop from where it is now. Computers haven't replaced TVs yet, as many experts predicted more than a decade ago, but there are signs that it could in the not-too-distant-future. Other similar predictions might still give readers clues as to what's to come in the future of the web.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Imagining the Internet, September 20, 2005
The Internet age is upon us. Daily, new and unexpected ideas are being flung into the far reaches of cyber space as citizens of an ever changing era discover the freedom the internet allows them. If the future of this dynamic new mode of communication interests you or if you are at all intrigued by the future of the Internet, than I highly suggest that you take the time to read Janna Quitney Anderson's book "Imagining the Internet."
The book covers the beginning of communications history and gives the reader an in-depth view of how the Internet came to be. It shows how the road was paved for the World Wide Web as well as how each technological improvement has allowed the human race to expand and deepen the ways in which we communicate with one another.
The importance and history of each significant communications technology is explained, starting as early as Gutenberg's printing press to radio, telephones, and television.
But it is the future possibilities of communication that encompass the body of "Imagining the Internet." Throughout the book, Anderson moves through the Internet's humble past to it's present form and into its' indefinable future, all while supporting her facts with a plethora of quotes and predictions from internet-savvy entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee. Her predictions make up the heart of the book and allow the reader to see varying points of view about what might become of this ever evolving form of world wide interconnectivity.
Anderson also goes into detail about privacy issues on the Internet, what some social, political, and economic expectations might be, as well as some concerns of what we might be faced with in the future. One example that was given was that if robots will one day take over. Anderson said, "There is no doubt that artificial intelligence will be taking on more and more duties as developments allow it to become an integral part of the networked world."
Predictions about what will become of mankind as a result of new technologies have always been a topic of interest. Anderson explores past predictions that were made as recently as 10 years ago. What were the possibilities foreseen only a decade ago and did those guesses become reality? The quotes and abstractions give insight into the possibilities that lie before us still.
"Imaging the Internet" is a book for people interested in a variety of subject matter. It is a great resource for people looking to do research in the history of modern communication, while it is also an interesting tale that the average world citizen should explore as they ponder the possibilities of the future of mankind. Take Anderson's advice and remember that, "As we go forward, we must think several jumps ahead. Decisions being made today are making your future. Inform yourself and become involved..."
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Imagining the Internet" is a time capsule for the internet's future, September 20, 2005
Imagining the internet is a thoughtful book about the internet that goes into detail describing communication resources in the past, present and future. Jana Anderson, the author, starts out describing the past forms of communication and the way they have evolved. From the telegraph, to the printing press, to the internet, all of these inventions have brought us a little closer; making the world a little smaller. Some of the communication devices that were created people did not believe would evolve as much as they have. However, in Anderson's book she explains how they grow, change people's lives, and change the world. The inventions slowly, but surely, begin to take part in politics and integrate themselves into our day to day lives.
The book is also an accessory to the internet website Elon University/Pew Internet and American Life project. The website serves as a time capsule for future generations so people can make predictions for the future of the internet. The internet according to Anderson's book could take over in ways that seem far stretched from our imagination. Within the book are predictions that people have made over the last few years. Some possibilities that the book mentions for the future are things like shopping online as a normal thing, or becoming more dependent on home schooling through the internet. Many department stores already have online stores, which might be the downfall of malls and stores you can walk into and shop. Already, there is some truth to the predictions that this book mentions.
Some changes that have already formed because of the internet are mentioned in this book. For example, the way books are no longer dependant on the old fashioned printing press because they can now be printed online for people to read. Having them on the internet also has another benefit that affects business; dealing with the money they save from having to actually pay to print. In this book, she illustrates, many times, the comparisons between the telegraph, television and telegram. All of these relate back to the internet because they progressed, just as the internet will continue to do.
Overall, Anderson's book takes the reader on a journey through the past, present, and future of communication with the internet. The internet has amazing potential ahead of it, and the book suggests many of the possibilities from credible people. The predictions that are included in the book are very possible for the future and are thought provoking for the reader. Various predictions are already on their way to becoming a reality, while others might still seem far stretched to a reader. The idea of robots might seem far away, but in reality, after reading the book, it is not that far away.
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