Description
Book SynopsisThe Soft Edge is a one-of-a-kind history of the information revolution. In his lucid and direct style, Paul Levinson, historian and philosopher of media and communications, gives us more than just a history of information technologies. The Soft Edge is a book about theories on the evolution of technology, the effects that human choice has on this (r)evolution, and what's in store for us in the future.
Paul Levinson's engaging voice guides us on a tour that explains how communications media have been responsible for major developments in history and for profound changes in our day-to-day lives. Levinson presents the intriguing argument that technology actually becomes more human. We see how information technologies are selected on the basis of how well they meet human needs. Why is email more like speech than print is? Why didn't the arrival of television destroy the radio? These and many more thought provoking questions are answered in The Soft Edge.
Boldly extending and deepening the pathways blazed by McLuhan, Paul Levinson has provided us with a brilliant and exciting study of life with our old media, our new media, and the media still to come.
Trade Review'A thorough and detailed history of the media from hieroglyphics to the Internet.' - Daily Telegraph
'With the publication of Soft Edge Levinson establishes himself as a major historian, critic and visionary in the media field.' - Systems Research and Behavioural Science
'A thoughtful analysis of the revolution of information technologies and their rise and fall in relation to social and technological environments ... It provides excellent insights and is suggested reading for those with a keen interest in media.' - Journalism and Mass Communication
'This is an excellent text for anyone working or teaching in the field of new media and society, and supplies a very different perspective within a crowded field of competitors.' - Communication Booknotes Quarterly
' a thoughtful and stimulating book'
Table of ContentsPreface, 1. INTRODUCTION, 2. THE FIRST DIGITAL MEDIUM, 3. THE PRINTED AUTHORSHIP OF THE MODERN WORLD, 4. THE AGE OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE AGELESS IMAGE, 5. TELEGRAPHY, 6. TELEPHONE, 7. ELECTRICITY, 8. RADIO, 9. SURVIVAL OF THE MEDIA FIT, 10. REMEDIAL MEDIA, 11. WORD PROCESSING AND ITS MASTERS, 12. THE ONLINE AUTHOR AS PUBLISHER AND BOOKSTORE, 13. HYPERTEXT AND AUTHOR/READER INVERSIONS, 14. THE OPEN WEB AND ITS ENEMIES, 15. TWENTIETH-CENTURY SCREENS, 16. PAPER FUTURES, 17. ELECTRONIC WATER MARKS, 18. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN REAL LIFE, 19. YOU CAN’T TOUCH THAT IN CYBERSPACE, Bibliography, Index
