Hyperconnectivity and Its Discontents
Format:Paperback
Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Published:25th Nov '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£55.00(9781509554522)
Digital hyperconnectivity is a defining fact of our time. The Silicon Valley dream of universal connection – the dream of connecting everyone and everything to everyone and everything else, everywhere and all the time – is rapidly becoming a reality. In this wide-ranging and sharply argued book, Rogers Brubaker develops an original interpretive account of the pervasive and unsettling changes brought about by hyperconnectivity. He traces transformations of the self, social relations, culture, economics, and politics, giving special attention to underexplored themes of abundance, miniaturization, convenience, quantification, and discipline. He shows how hyperconnectivity prepared us for the pandemic and how the pandemic, in turn, has prepared us for an even more fully digitally mediated future. Throughout, Brubaker underscores the ambivalence of digital hyperconnectivity, which opens up many new and exciting possibilities, yet at the same time threatens human freedom and flourishing.
Hyperconnectivity and Its Discontents will be essential reading for everyone interested in the constellation of socio-technical forces that are profoundly remaking our world.
"Bracing, stimulating, and recurrently insightful, Rogers Brubaker's exploration of ubiquitous digital connectivity is observant and often wise. He advances our understanding of technology's very mixed human implications, from distractions to deep transformations, and also the implications of how we use new technologies, knowingly and unknowingly."
Craig Calhoun, Arizona State University (ASU) and London School of Economics (LSE)
"In this lucid, elegant book, Rogers Brubaker demonstrates that if you read hyperconnectivity through the lens of classic social theory, you'll better understand its costs and what to do about them. So when he considers the sociality of the web and our ever-lonelier hearts, his exploration leads him to the dangers of populism and a threat to democracy. He speaks to our moment."
Sherry Turkle, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
"[A]n informative and engaging overview of digitally intertwined life that does not sacrifice breadth for depth."
International Journal of Communication
“In this incisive, panoramic book. . . . Brubaker makes a compelling case for the pervasive ways that hyperconnectivity structures social life.”
Social Forces
"a thoroughly detailed and informed book"
European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling
“Cogent and masterfully written . . . Rogers Brubaker gathers the reader around the lifted hood of hyperconnectivity to reveal the inner workings of this environment: its potential, its reality, its promise, its flaws, and its possible and probable futures.”
Contemporary Sociology
ISBN: 9781509554539
Dimensions: 229mm x 150mm x 18mm
Weight: 363g
288 pages