The Control Revolution: How the Internet is Putting Individuals in Charge and Changing the World We Know

So much of what we read or hear about the Internet points to extremes t hat have little to do with our actual experience of this new technology. A whole vocabulary has developed that reflects hysteria ("cyberstalker," "Y2K bug") and hype ("virtual reality"). But how do we really make sense of the Internet and its impact on our day-to-day lives? What is it doing to our sense of self and society? How is it affecting our relationships with family and friends, with neighbors and far-flung fellow citizens, and with the powers that be in government and the corporate world? The Control Revolution addresses these questions in a way that everyone will find relevant.

In this masterful exploration of the meaning of the Internet, journalist and legal scholar Andrew Shapiro weaves a narrative through events that are occurring all around us: Dissidents use the Net to evade censorship to get their message out. Cyber-gossips send dispatches to thousands via email. Musicians bypass record companies and put their songs on the world wide web for fans to download directly. "Day traders" roil the stock market, buying securities online with the click of a mouse and then sell minutes later when the price jumps.

Shapiro argues that there is a common thread underlying these developments. It is not just a change in how we compute or communicate. Rather, it is a potentially radical shift in who is in control--of information, experience, and resources. With a mix of anecdote and analysis, Shapiro explains how:

* new technology is allowing individuals to take power from large institutions such as government, corporations, and the media;

* powerful entities are resisting this change and limiting our new digitally enabled autonomy;

* individual control can be pushed too far, threatening personal well-being and democratic values; and

* we can reap the benefits of the new control without succumbing either to resistance or to excess.

Along the way, The Control Revolution explores electronic commerce, cyberporn and censorship, customized news delivery, online democracy, Microsoft's market power, encryption and law enforcement, copyright in the digital age, virtual communities, Matt Drudge, privacy, and the role of interactive technology in struggles against political tyranny. The result is a penetrating exploration of how the Internet shapes our lives--often more than we realize--and how the question of who is in control will determine its influence all the more.

Andrew L. Shapiro, a writer and lawyer, is director of the Aspen Institute Internet Policy Project and the First Amendment Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. He has recently been a lecturer at Columbia Law School, a resident fellow at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, and a fellow at The Century Foundation. A contributing editor at The Nation, Shapiro has also written for publications including Wired, New York, The New Republic, and The New York Times. This is his second book.