1997

Jones Steve

Virtual Culture: Introduction

http://info.comm.uic.edu/jones/virtcult.html

This excerpt is the introductory chapter from the book Virtual Culture from Sage Publications, Ltd. (London, England). It is © by Sage Publications and Steve Jones, all rights reserved.

Although the story of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and the Internet is still being written, we already know that there are (at least) two sides to it. The side we most commonly hear about is of their development and implementation, and this has been historically what we have heard most. We also hear much about Internet engineering, its business and commercial applications, its potential for entertainment.

The side we hear less about (sometimes we hear nothing at all) is of the consequences of that development and implementation, of the uses to which we mean to put the technology, and the social outcomes desired, and hence this book -- Virtual Culture.