Making the Information Society

by Cortada, James W.

• ISBN13: 9780130659064
• ISBN10: 0130659061
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Ft Pr

Summary

In Making the Information Society, James Cortada offers a profound new perspective on the meaning of the information age in today's society. He steps back from the hurly-burly of the Internet, current technological advance, and stock market churn, viewing the broad sweep of change related to information technology, and the unparalleled impact of information on our lives. This book takes on the big questions: How did the information revolution happen? What are its roots? And what does it mean to our lives -- as citizens, family members, and businesspeople? Cortada demonstrates how the values and behavior of the information age are firmly rooted in hundreds of years of Western culture, showing why the information revolution took root in America first -- and why Americans have been uniquely receptive to its promises. He then shows American creativity at work, leveraging information technology in every slice of life, from work to play to religion. Finally, he offers an informed, thoughtful preview of what's likely to happen next, as the information age continues to evolve at breakneck speed. This book is a companion to the successful A Nation Transformed by Information: How Information has Shaped the United States from Colonial Times to Present, by James Cortada and Pulitzer Prize winner Alfred Chandler.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
An Introduction to the Long Trip to the Information Age	1	(27)
General Patterns of Information in American Life	6	(6)
Birth and Evolution of the Information Age in America	12	(8)
Events at Mid-Century	20	(2)
Conclusions	22	(6)
The Long Trip to The Information Age	28	(31)
America's Love Affair with Information Machines	31	(1)
The Ubiquitous Typewriter	32	(3)
Crunching Numbers: Adding and Calculating Machines	35	(3)
Big Time Computing: Punched-Card Tabulators	38	(4)
Hello!: Role of the Telephone	42	(4)
The Radio in America	46	(1)
Arrival of Electronic Entertainment: Television	47	(4)
What Americans Thought of Information Just Before the Computer	51	(3)
Conclusions	54	(5)
Big Gizmos, New Tools, and a Changing Way of Life, 1950--1995	59	(38)
A Quick Course on How Computers Were Invented	63	(7)
The Invention of Software	70	(3)
Military Uses of Computers	73	(3)
Business Uses of Computers	76	(6)
Computers for Entertainment	82	(5)
Consequences of the Computer	87	(5)
Conclusions	92	(5)
America's Love Affair with the Internet	97	(39)
Creation of the Internet	99	(15)
Digitizing America the Small Way	114	(10)
The Special Role of Globalization	124	(3)
Conclusions	127	(9)
How Information is Playing A Bigger Role in American Work	136	(54)
Some Realities About the American Economy	139	(6)
Information Workers and Knowledge Management	145	(5)
Book Publishing: As Source of Information	150	(4)
Role of Newspapers and Magazines: American Information Landmarks	154	(8)
Everyone an Information Technology Worker? A Peek at Our Future?	162	(8)
Patterns in Work and Workplaces	170	(4)
The Internet as a Source of Information	174	(4)
Consequences and Implications for Worker Productivity	178	(5)
Conclusions	183	(7)
Information and Leisure Activities	190	(59)
Informationalizing Sports: Baseball, Football, and Basketball	193	(9)
Reading and Collecting Books for Entertainment	202	(4)
Information, Tourism, and the American Vacation	206	(10)
Pursuing Education on One's Own Initiative	216	(6)
Playing on the Net	222	(5)
Television: A Media in Transition	227	(9)
Patterns and Consequences	236	(4)
Conclusions	240	(9)
Information and Religion	249	(45)
Patterns From the Age of Paper	253	(2)
Origins of American Religious Practices	255	(6)
The Special Role of the Bible	261	(7)
Role of Radio and TV	268	(8)
Cyber-Religion: Religious Life and the Internet	276	(10)
Consequences and Possibilities	286	(8)
Public Policy and Information	294	(46)
Origins of Policies and Infrastructures in the Age of Paper	299	(3)
The Special Role of Book Banning	302	(5)
The Special Role of the Press	307	(4)
Expanding Access to Information	311	(3)
Policies and Infrastructures in the Electrical Age	314	(4)
V-Chips and Television	318	(2)
Recent Trends in Regulatory Practices	320	(4)
Uncle Sam, the Ultimate Venture Capitalist of Digital Technologies	324	(5)
The Special Case of the Internet	329	(3)
Conclusions	332	(8)
A Digital Democracy	340	(29)
How Will E-Democracy Evolve?	345	(5)
The Special Role of the Internet	350	(8)
So What are We to do?	358	(11)
The Future of Information in America	369	(43)
Does Technology Have a Will of Its Own?	373	(5)
Some Basic Assumptions About the Future	378	(4)
How Information Technology is Affecting Our Future	382	(8)
Effects of Further Economic Globalization on How Americans Use Information	390	(5)
American Values, Beliefs, and Habits	395	(5)
The Nature of American Information	400	(4)
Conclusions	404	(8)
Leveraging Information for Fun and Profit	412	(19)
Consequences and Possibilities for Workers and Managers	416	(3)
Consequences and Possibilities for Players	419	(2)
Consequences and Possibilities for the Religious	421	(4)
Consequences and Possibilities for Public Officials and Citizens	425	(3)
Some Final Thoughts	428	(3)
Learning More About Info-America	431	(20)
Historical Background	432	(2)
The Telephone	434	(1)
The Computer	435	(2)
Economics of the Information Age	437	(1)
Work in the United States	438	(2)
Sociological Views of Information in America	440	(1)
Leisure in the United States	440	(2)
Religion in the United States	442	(1)
The Internet	443	(3)
Public Policy and Information	446	(3)
Future of Information in America	449	(2)
Index	451