Product Description

This wide-ranging introductory text looks at the virtual community of cyberspace and analyses its relationship to real communities. Clearly written with a range of international examples, it is an essential overview of the sociology of the internet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #362876 in Books
• Published on: 1998-12-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Rebecca G ADams, Contemporary Sociology, November 1999
'If this volume were a restaurant or a hotel, it would deserve "five stars".'

From the Back Cover
In cyberspace, communication and co-ordination is cheap, fast, and global. With powerful new tools for interacting and organizing in the hands of millions of people worldwide, what kinds of social spaces and groups are people creating? How is the Internet changing our basic concepts of identity, self-governance and community?
This wide-ranging book looks at virtual communities in cyberspace and their relationship to communities in the physical world. The roles of race, gender, power, economics and ethics in cyberspace are discussed by the leading experts on the subject, and are grouped into four main sections:
* Identity
* Social order and control
* Community structure and dynamics
* Collective action
Communities in Cyberspace investigates how the idea of community is being challenged and rewritten by the widespread use of online interaction. Clearly written and covering a broad range of topics, this edited volume is an essential introduction to the landscape of social life in cyberspace.

About the Author
Byron Burkhalter, UCLA, Judith S. Donath, MIT, Laura J. Gurak, University of Minnesota, Peter Kollock, UCLA, Christopher Mele, State University of New York at Buffalo, Jodi O'Brien, Seattle University, Elizabeth Reid, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Anna DuVal Smith, Case Western Reserve University, Marc A. Smith, UCLA, Willard Uncapher, University of Texas at Austin, Barry Wellman, University of Toronto, Milena Gulia, University of Toronto

Customer Reviews

The best academic work on the subject of the Internet
As a postgrad undertaking a social science analysis of issues relating to the Internet, I have found this to be the best overall summary of the subject. It covers a broad range of topics, and does not get bogged down in utopian nonsense. It is also very well written, which is not something I can say about most books I have read about the Internet.