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Johnny Ryan

A History of the Internet and the Digital Future Hardcover – September 1, 2010

by Johnny Ryan (Author)

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This book explores the trends that are shaping the businesses, politics, and media of the digital future.
A great adjustment in human affairs is underway. Political, commercial and cultural life is changing from the centralized, hierarchical and standardized structures of the industrial age to something radically different: the economy of the emerging digital era.
A History of the Internet and the Digital Future tells the story of the development of the Internet from the 1950s to the present, and explains how the Internet has revolutionized political campaigns; how the development of the World Wide Web enfranchised a new online population of assertive, niche consumers; and how the dot-com bust taught smarter firms to capitalize on the power of digital artisans.

Print length

246 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Reaktion Books
Publication date

September 1, 2010
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.7 inches
ISBN-10

1861897774
ISBN-13

978-1861897770
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is the best Western history of the Internet offered to date, but it is up to readers to connect the dots of where things may be headed."
Library Journal

"Understanding the trends driving this revolution is pivotal to success. Consider this book your road map to getting there." --Marc Benioff, CEO of salesforce.com

"This is a must-read for both governments and companies who need to fully understand this shift in power." --Susanne Dirks, Leader, Global Center for Economic Development, IBM Institute for Business Value

"Johnny Ryan has admirably captured the sweep of the Internet's development from its earliest days." -- Professor Jonathan Zittrain, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

"Ryan dissects the play of actors, the essence of their technical ideas, and the details of their activities with documentation and diligence, and even uncovers some discrepancies. He develops a narrative that I found intriguing, enlightening, and credible."
-Dave Crocker, The Internet Protocol Journal (Cisco)

From the Author

The Internet, like many readers of this book, is a child of the industrial age. Long before the arrival of digital communications, the steam engine, telegraph pole and coalmine quickened the pace of the world. Industrialized commerce, communications and war spun the globe ever faster and increasingly to a centripetal beat. Control in the industrial- ized world was put at the centre. The furthest reaches of the globe came under the sway of centres of power: massive urbanization and a flight from the land created monstrous cities in the great nations; maritime empires brought vast swathes of the globe under the sway of imperial capitals. The training of workmen, the precise measurement of a pistol barrel's calibre, the mass assembly of automobiles, all were regimented, standardized in conformity with the centripetal imperative. The industrial revolution created a world of centralization and organized hierarchy. Its defining pattern was a single, central dot to which all strands led. But the emerging digital age is different.

A great adjustment in human affairs is under way. The pattern of political, commercial and cultural life is changing. The defining pattern of the emerging digital age is the absence of the central dot. In its place a mesh of many points is evolving, each linked by webs and networks. This story is about the death of the centre and the development of com- mercial and political life in a networked system. It is also the story about the coming power of the networked individual as the new vital unit of effective participation and creativity.

At the centre of this change is the Internet, a technology so unusual and so profoundly unlikely to have been created that its existence would be a constant marvel were it not a fact of daily life. No treatise or arch plan steered its development from beginning to end. Nor did its success come from serendipity alone, but from the peculiar ethic thatemerged among engineers and early computer lovers in the 1960s and '70s, and through the initiative of empowered users and networked communities. The combination of these elements has put power in the hands of the individual, power to challenge even the state, to compete for markets across the globe, to demand and create new types of media, to subvert a society - or to elect a president.

We have arrived at the point when the Internet has existed for a suf- ficiently long time for a historical study to reveal key characteristics that will have an impact on business, politics and society in the coming decades. Like all good histories, this book offers insight into the future by understanding the past. The first section of this book (Chapters 1-4) examines the concepts and context from which the Internet emerged. The second section (Chapters 5-9) traces how the technology and cul- ture of networking matured, freeing communities for the first time in human history from the tyranny of geography in the process. This section also describes the emergence of the Web and the folly of the dot- com boom and bust. The final section (Chapters 10-13) shows how the defining characteristics of the Internet are now transforming culture, commerce and politics.

Three characteristics have asserted themselves throughout the Internet's history, and will define the digital age to which we must all adjust: the Internet is a centrifugal force, user-driven and open. Under- standing what these characteristics mean and how they emerged is the key to making the great adjustment to the new global commons, a political and media system in flux and the future of competitive creativity.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Reaktion Books; 1st edition (September 1, 2010)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 246 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1861897774

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1861897770

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,741,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

#742 in Computing Industry History

#964 in Management Information Systems

#8,141 in Internet & Telecommunications

Customer Reviews:
29 ratings

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4 out of 5
29 global ratings

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3 star
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2 star
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1 star
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Top reviews from the United States

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Peter G. Markiewicz
Excellent book an every respect
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is good enough that I'm using it as the primary text for a 'cyber theory' class. While on one hand the book is a fairly complete history of the events leading to the modern Internet, it is also conceptual. The author considers the unique features of decentralized, lateral peer to peer communication of the modern Internet, and unifies the historical text by considering how these concepts could possibly emerge in the context of a military-government project. It's interesting to see how easily it might have gone another way. If we re-ran history, we'd be unlikely to get the same network - it probably would have been closer to cable television, or expanded phone service.

Though the text is extremely detailed, it is highly readable, due to Ryan's extensive cross-references, which help you remember where you are in the story. That is, when he describes a development in the telcos, he relates it back to what was going on at DARPA, as well as concepts advanced by various individuals. It makes Internet's origin and growth a coherent story instead of a mass of facts, or the popular "survive a nuclear war" fable.

The book concludes with a cautious, though conventional prediction of the Internet's long-term impact on society. Ryan again considers the effect of decentralized networks, and avoids the starry-eyed predictions of world peace common in many "Internet saves the world" texts. He doesn't consider the 'dark side' - whether the Internet might morph into something less friendly - but this is a minor issue in an otherwise great read.

In short, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to move beyond the breathless myths propagated in hindsight, and really understand how this extraordinary technology came to be.
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Vee Ef
Fascinating overview of the Internet's development
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2010
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Although the title of Johnny Ryan's comprehensive look at the development of the Internet contains the words "History," "Internet," and "Future," don't for one moment think this book only fulfills the interests of history buffs, techno geeks, or corporate hopefuls looking to make googles of money on the next big Internet gold strike. A History of the Internet and the Digital Future is far more sweeping, addressing the history of the Internet's technological expansion, yes, but the entire read connects technological development with myriad yet correlated political, social, and human conditions that influenced, or were influenced by, the Internet's development as communicative media. A comprehensive resource, this book is as much about the history and integration of human ideas, progressive thinking, and the desire to communicate in political, social,and economic contexts as it is about historical advancements in Internet technology.

Ryan's book is divided into three sections, or "phases," each structured to highlight the Internet's developmental stages. Phase One, in Ryan's own words, "examines the concepts and context from which the Internet emerged." Phase Two "traces how the technology and culture of networking matured, freeing communities for the first time in human history from the tyranny of geography in the process." And Phase Three, the chapter I find most engaging, "shows how the defining characteristics of the Internet are now transforming culture, commerce and politics." As these sample direct quotations illustrate, Ryan's prose is conversational without being chatty, informative without being pedantic, clear without sounding condescending, and encyclopedic in a way that does not merely reel off a litany of facts and figures.

While Internet scholars are often asked to predict future trends, Ryan effectively demonstrates the ways future trends often hinge on historical precedents without delving into any particular "crystal ball" predictions himself. The emphasis here is less on what will happen than what might happen without being equivocal, and more on the ways that the Internet creates power shifts, and how those power shifts spur change in social, economic, political, and cultural arenas.

All told, Ryan's work speaks to readers from all clicks of the mouse. His book's extensive research and pithy explanations work to remind (and perhaps forewarn) readers that humans are in the throws (as they have been since the 1950s) of adjusting to knowledge-making/sharing, production/consumption shifts they encounter through rapidly advancing technology. Right now, as Ryan reminds readers, the technology disseminating knowledge and shifting the paradigms of media power faster and broader than any medium in history is the Internet. A History of the Internet and the Digital Future proves to be essential reading for understanding how we, as everyday Internet users, are situated in the wide-reaching access of digital communication.
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JLA
The book safely arrived as described.
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2021
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Thanks.
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Joseph Flynn
Very thorough history of the internet
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2012
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I was looking for a history and overview of the internet. This book does a very thorough job of detailing the origins and develop of the internet. Packed with information. As it is written from a British perspective, it has been a good companion piece to other books about the internet written by Americans. Helps place the development of the internet in a global perspective.
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B. J. Clarke
A valuable and well written history
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2012
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This is well-written, serious and readable. Its coverage is excellent and extended what I thought i knew from other books and from living though this era. A good reference and a good complement for the classic "When wizards stay up late."
The second half deals with the future of the internet and with its future transforming effects on society. Stimulating!
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Andrew H
Fun walk through history
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2011
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This was a great read to walk through history but as the book started converging on the modern era of the internet (late '90s and on) I found some things were glossed over and simplified. I felt there wasn't much prophetic about how the change to centrifugal will continue to affect us as internetworking and ubiquitous connectivity evolves. Still, the first part of the book was a great read so it's a better than average book.
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Alexey Sidorenko
Perfect!
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2011
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This is a really good book! Very precise yet understandable. Detailed and comprehensive at the same time. I wasn't very excited by conclusions but I greatly enjoyed the process of reading this book.
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Kay
Excellent Condition
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2013
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I ordered this book for my son who is away at college. Trying to save money on the high cost of books our search on Amazon began. I was completely surprised at the low costs of the book and the great condition it was in. This book arrived in a timely manner better than we expected. It was in excellent condition and if we need to use this seller for future semesters we will.
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Top reviews from other countries

Geckoboy
An uninteresting read of what should be an interesting topic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2017
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It's always disconcerting when only 1 of the 12 reviews comes from a verified purchase. The US site has the book at 3.5/5 stars—still too generous in my opinion. About 20% of the book is made up of quotations and excerpts from other references loosely joined together with a few words that segue into the next quotation, and the other 80% is kind of dull to read. I don't think it's too unfair to draw comparisons between Richard Rhodes's The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Both books are ultimately a history of science with clear social implications, both books need to choose a balance between overwhelming readers with detail and explaining an esoteric subject in a way which helps put the broader topic in context, and both books need to place emphasis on the people behind it all. And yet where Rhodes, like a magician, manages to keep the reader engaged through 800+ pages, this book constantly has me wondering how more pages I've got until the end of the chapter so I can summon the will power to read on.
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Dick H
Understanding the Development of the Internet
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2019
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Absolutely fascinating into how the Internet was developed from the 1980s, especially the security issues and the progression of new idea Organisations such as Google , Amazon ,
Facebook etc .
But then makes on think how far these now large powerful Companies can expand
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William Sutherland
Good story, good insights
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2013
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This book not only sets out the facts and the story behind the internet but it also draws positive conclusions for what this means for future society. We are now at a cusp in human development where the power of the internet and digital age can be used either to underpin a "big brother" Orwellian world or (and this is Ryan's view) create a decentralised and human scale world. Corporations and governments should read this book - the emerging digital world is a reality they cannot ignore. Certainly the story of the internet shows how imaginative humans can work and co-operate without top down authority or money reward - the world of the "wiki" has now begun.
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Caroline Bradley
Great addition to the class
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2021
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Purchased to use in my lessons with Level 3 Media students. Has been a great addition to lessons.
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