Information Technology and Society: A Reader (Published in association with The Open University)

"Providing a complete overview of the issues that inform any discussion about the impact of information technology, this book is an invaluable resource for teaching and research on information technology." --Current Literature on Science of Science Thorough and comprehensive, Information Technology and Society examines the social, political, and technological implications of the information revolution. The editors explore the major social and technological issues surrounding the introduction of information technology into everyday life; present historical and comparative perspectives on the social and technological processes involved in the uses of, control of, and access to information technology (IT); and critically examine the assumptions underpinning technological development. Key issues, from technological determinism to globalization, privacy to labor relations, and telework to disability, are discussed from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives. This collection also examines future applications of the technology including advanced telecommunications and virtual reality. Contributors place the debates around IT in an international context, illustrating the importance of social values as well as government policy. Providing a complete overview of the issues that inform any discussion about the impact of information technology, this is an invaluable resource for teaching and research in information technology.

Dr Hugh Mackay is an Honorary Associate of the Faculty of Sociology at Open University