Description:
Based in both rigorous theoretical work and case studies of software and network usage and installation, this book explores the idea that disruption and disorder are essential to the dynamic composition of contemporary Information Society. It covers topics ranging from organizational and social control to virtual communites and digital art, providing a panoramic view of the anomalies, contradictions, and social dynamics of the information society.
Review Quotes:
"Disorder and the Disinformation Society is a groundbreaking collective effort. The study shifts our attention from hyped possibilities to the dark side of our excessive information flows. After the digital rush, let's get analytic and study the informational impulse. We can no longer deny the multitudes of failures. As Freud already taught us: it is through the study of disorder that we hold a mirror to society and learn about the laws of society. In order to prevent eternal repetition of the same complaints, let's develop the necessary critical concepts. How will the data catharsis look like? This book is an excellent attempt at that practice."
- Geert Lovink, internet critic, Institute of Network Cultures and European Graduate School
"Rather than considering disorder and disinformation an undesirable by-product of networking, the authors make a convincing case for the persistence of unintended and unplanned consequences of human action--especially as applied to information networks. Provocative, creative, and meticulously researched, this remarkable study changes our understanding of our today's information society in profound ways. Not to be missed!"
- Manfred B. Steger, Professor of Political Science, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, and author of Globalization: A Very Short Introduction