Alphabet : The Becoming of Google

Google is synonymous with searching, but in this innovative new research volume, Micky Lee explores how the Alphabet Corporation, now the parent company of Google, is more than just a search engine. Using a political economic approach, Lee draws on the concept of networks to investigate the growth of this key media player.

The establishment of the parent company, Alphabet, shows the company is expanding to other industries from equity investment to self-driving cars. This book first examines this history of expansion, before delving into the economic, political, and cultural profiles of the corporation. Lee ultimately finds that what makes Google powerful is not one genius idea, but rather networks of people, places, and capital.

Alphabet: The Becoming of Google is a compelling dive into the sometimes inscrutable world of Google, ideal for students, scholars, and researchers interested in the fields of digital media studies, the politics and economies of online media, and the history of the internet.

Micky Lee is an associate professor of media studies at Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA. She has published in the areas of feminist political economy, information, technologies, and finance. Her latest books are Understanding the Business of Global Media in the Digital Age and Bubbles and Machines: Gender, Information, and Financial Crises.