Networked publics - Kazys Varnelis

Digital media and network technologies are now part of everyday life. The
Internet has become the backbone of communication, commerce, and media; the
ubiquitous mobile phone connects us with others as it removes us from any stable
sense of location. Networked Publics examines the ways that the
social and cultural shifts created by these technologies have transformed our
relationships to (and definitions of) place, culture, politics, and infrastructure.
Four chapters--each by an interdisciplinary team of scholars using collaborative
software--provide a synoptic overview along with illustrative case studies. The
chapter on place describes how digital networks enable us to be present in physical
and networked places simultaneously--often at the expense of nondigital commitments.
The chapter on culture explores the growth and impact of amateur-produced and
remixed content online. The chapter on politics examines the new networked modes of
bottom-up political expression and mobilization. And finally, the chapter on
infrastructure notes the tension between openness and control in the flow of
information, as seen in the current controversy over net neutrality.