Inhaltsangabe

"The label ‘new media’ is closely associated with The Information Society and with a particular vision of developments in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). For economists who follow developments in digital ICTs, these terms are aligned with a vision where innovative ideas and technologies are expected to ‘fuel’ economic growth. [...] Innovations in these technologies often provide technologists with new ‘toys’ and it frequently is suggested that if miniaturized and better versions of these technologies can be built, then they can be marketed to the benefit of users worldwide. The main goal of economists is to employ these technologies in ways that will contribute to productivity strategies that will stimulate economic growth. Digital information and new media content, produced at relatively low cost and circulated through global networks, are expected to provide the basis for this. This is the predominant expectation in our times. However, as I suggest in this paper, there is a need to give greater consideration to the tactics and strategies that might enable the new digital techniques of socio-cultural production to be used for the benefit of all, rather than for a minority who find themselves able to acquire the necessary capabilities for living in an intensely mediated world. [...] In this paper, I assess some of the claims and counterclaims about these developments, concluding with the question: what kind of society do we want?" [Information des Anbieters]

Introduction; Harbinger of the best of times; Dialectic relation with the worst of times; Claims and Counterclaims; Winter of Despair; Spring of Hope; Conclusion; References