Prometheus Wired: The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology

Darin Barney

Published by University of British Columbia Press 2000

Prometheus Wired

The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology

Darin Barney

https://doi.org/10.59962/9780774852173

Overview
Contents

About this book

From all sides, we hear that computer technology, with its undeniable power to disseminate information and connect individuals, holds enormous potential for a reinvigoration of political life. But will the Internet really spark a democratic revolution? And will the changes it brings be so profound that past political thought will be of little use in helping us to understand them?

In Prometheus Wired, Darin Barney debunks claims that a networked society will provide the infrastructure for a political revolution and shows that the resources we need for understanding and making sound judgments about this new technology are surprisingly close at hand. By looking to thinkers who grappled with the relationship of society and technology, such as Plato, Aristotle, Marx, and Heidegger, Barney critically examines such assertions about the character of digital networks.

Along the way, Barney offers an eye-opening history of digital networks and then explores a wide range of contemporary issues, such as electronic commerce, telecommuting, privacy, virtual community, digital surveillance, and the possibility of sovereign governance in an age of global networks. Ultimately, Barney argues that instead of placing power back in the hands of the public, a networked economy seems to exacerbate the worst features of industrial capitalism, and, in terms of the surveillance and control it exerts, reduces our political freedom.

Of vital interest to politicians, communicators, and anyone concerned about the future of democracy in the digital age, Prometheus Wired adds a provocative new voice to the debate swirling around "the Net" and the ways in which it will, or will not, change our political lives.

Author / Editor information

Darin Barney teaches in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa.

Reviews

Fabian von Sch?ele:
The book presents an originality that is refreshing. Few authors have analysed information technology from the 'meta-perspective' of Barney. While reading the book I spontaneously felt 'this is a book that concerns everyone.' Ideally, the text should be recommended to all students involved in economic, technical and philosophical disciplines. Prometheus Wired is superbly written and thought provoking.

Ted Becker:
This is a welcome and provocative addition to the growing literature on the politics of the Internet. In addition to its rich intellectual texture and mother-lode of information about computer hard- and software, it is a quick read because the author has a sharpe tongue and makes excellent points.

Topics

Front Matter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
prometheus wired Publicly Available Download PDF	3
on technology Publicly Available Download PDF	27
networks Publicly Available Download PDF	58
the political economy of network technology 1: the mode of production Publicly Available Download PDF	104
the political economy of network technology 2: work, consumption, and exchange Publicly Available Download PDF	132
a standing-reserve of bits Publicly Available Download PDF	192
government, politics, and democracy: network technology as stand-in Publicly Available Download PDF	236
notes Publicly Available Download PDF	269
bibliography Publicly Available Download PDF	307
index Publicly Available Download PDF	325

Language: English
Publisher: University of British Columbia Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 350
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 3

eBook

Published: October 1, 2007
ISBN: 9780774852173