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Summary: A compelling analysis of the network society
Review: (This review has been submitted on behalf of Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society)Manuel Castells new book presents a compelling analysis of the influence of the Internet, considering topics as diverse as individual communication and freedoms, the new dynamics of social movements, business networks in the new economy, and geographic development patterns such as metropolization and digital divide. The attraction of this book is in several aspects. Firstly, it references up-to-date research data, making the arguments presented highly credible. For example, he gives a well considered assessment of the role of the Internet for social communication and community-building. Secondly, Castells addresses the network society from a rich set of perspectives, taking into account both social and economic theory. Thirdly, he presents a balanced view with respect to the impact of the Internet, observing at times profound and even transformational changes such as in business networks, while being more reserved about its influence in other cases, for example on politics. The book is rich in well-founded observations and reasoning, while at the same time staying away from speculation or hype. Even if some may contest Castells' interpretations at times, they are always food for thought. They invite to apply the thinking on related phenomena of the network society such as the development of the wireless society or the impact of broadband. For anyone interested in the policy in the network society I can highly recommend this book. Erkki Liikanen
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Summary: Review of Internet Galaxy
Review: After reading The Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells, I can honestly say that I have not learned as much as I would have hoped. Castells does a great job of outlining how the Internet came to be. In addition, he makes controversial statements that have the ability to facilitate discussions/debates. However, there is a lot of unnecessary information in the book. He gives many statistics and thoughts that are pretty much common sense for anyone with any computer savvy. Finally, he fails to discuss the issue of technology in education, which is a very important issue to many in this class. Overall, I think it would be a good book to read for someone who did not have any previous knowledge of what the Internet entailed. However, for those readers with any Internet experience, it is hard to get through all of the useless statistics to get to the heart of Internet issues.
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Summary: A bunch of common sense
Review: After reading through Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells all I got out of it was some fancy lingo. There are so many new tech terms in this book that it was hard to understand at times. I am sure that this is great research and it is a well written book, but I got very little out of it. For the most part it was common sense and repetitive. If I were looking for something to put me to sleep or new nothing about the internet I would read this book.
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Summary: Summary of Book - Good Read
Review: Castell takes us on a wonderful journey through the Internet and all of its possibilities. After reading the book, I conclude that Castell in all of his literary wanderings must strive to be a crusader for an ideal society and the libertarian (European definition) dream. About the book. In Chapter 1, Castell is thorough enough in his history to pay homage to the key players. It is clear early on that Castell is biased toward a libertarian idealogy. In Chapter 2, Castell categorizes the groups that helped with the evolution of the Internet. Castell does a solid job of tearing down popular misconceptions about the hacker culture. The messages from Chapter 3 remain important. Castells's emphasis on the network is explained in Chapter 3 and will be reiterated later in the book. In Chapter 4, Castell attempts to examine as many social implications for the Internet as possible. In Chapter 5, Castell examines the Internet in terms of politics, civil society and the state. For the time that it was written, it was very sound. Today, there is an even larger body of support for Castell than there was when this book was published. In Chapter 6, Castell really goes to his libertarian roots and laments to lack of privacy and liberty in Cyberspace. In what was an otherwise well-planned book, Chapter 7 is a major swerve off the edge of a cliff. In Chapter 8, Castell avoids going out on a futuristic limb and does a strong job of exploring Internet geography. In Chapter 9, I felt that Castell made his points about the digital divide very well. Castell's conclusion was everything that I expected after reading the book. He reiterates the importance of the Internet and the urgency that we as citizens of the planet must feel about the development of the Internet. Though I would love to quote it, I will leave it up to readers. His last two sentences of the book are predictable but priceless. Castells's book is well written, a bit outdated but a decent read. There are a lot of intelligent ideas and even some frightening warnings about the future. If the Internet is really as important as Castell would like us to believe, we must tread with caution through the Internet Galaxy.
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Summary: Review
Review: Castells book "The Internet Galaxy" seemed geared mainly towards an educational audience. Some of the content will be confusing if the reader does not have some prior knowledge of internet related terms.
I found about half of the book to be interesting. I particularly liked the first two chapters about the history of the internet and the different users and developers of the internet. I also liked the last chapter on the geography of the internet.
Of the other half, some of it seemed like the author was thinking way too hard about what he was writing. Some of it seemed obvious, such as statements implying people who have higher incomes have more access to the internet. I wished the author had went deeper into the first two and last chapters.
Overall, whether you agree with what the author writes or not, or whether you like the book or not, it still stimulates thought about the topics it discusses.
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Summary: Feable for the Internet Educated
Review: Castells Internet Gallaxy is good backround for people who have no or very limited knowledge of the Internet. The book covers the inception of the Internet and how it came about, to the impact that the internet has on society. However for anyone who has used the internet extensivly or has done minimal studying on the subject the is pretty mudane. Most of the research such as where the majority of users are located or what classes of individuals are most likely to have internet access is common knowledge due to the wide spread news coverage or can be duducted by general intellectual thinking. For example if you know that with most new tech products the higher classes usually have a better chance to attain the product it is not hard to deduce that those with higher income tend to have more access to the internet. The book does provide a good resource for anyone doing research, but unless you like dry information or have limited internet knowledge I would say dont buy the book but maybe check it out of the library for reading on a rainy day to see if your ideas match up with the authors.
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Summary: Review of The Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells
Review: Castells offers a unique analysis of the Internet's development and its impact on society, the economy and privacy. His analysis prompts the reader to think, or rethink, what the Internet really is all about. One of the most interesting enlightenments in this book is the notion that users of the Internet are also producers and shapers of the Internet. He also sheds light on the various Internet cultures, including the hacker culture. Did you think that hackers were Internet users that had nothing better to do than hack into systems and create chaos? Castells discusses this cyberspace culture as well as others and clarifies who these groups really are and how they have contributed to the internet's development. Castells also enlightens the reader about the Internet's development: once a government project that was later turned over to academia and now "belongs" to Internet users themselves. He also offers a perspective of how the Internet's development has impacted the economy, our society, and how we do business. Overall, Castells offers a unique perspective that is intriguing and involves the reader on a deeper level. Though interesting and thought provoking, it is a difficult read.
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Summary: Castells Internet Galaxy
Review: Castells offers an overview of the Internet including its social, economic, political, communication, cultural, and informational impacts. Many Americans, including me, have come to take the Internet for granted. His history and insight put into perspective the gravity of change we have experienced as a result of the Internet. Although the industrialized world may take the web for granted, there is a huge segment of the world who's exclusion already brought on by economic reasons is being further left behind by their lack of access.
I was particularly surprised by his description of the historical development of the Internet and the great contribution from the hacker community. My perspective, based on Hollywood and news reports, viewed hackers only as criminals. In addition, I have a greater appreciation for open source development of innovation. Who would have guessed that something so innovative and powerful could come together without profit as the main motivation. Privacy is an obvious concern for Castells. His portrayal of the situation sometimes sounds like a George Orwell novel. After some very ominous discussion he admits that much of the tracking and information gathering is of no consequence to the average user. Never the less, his concern is justified. As free citizens we should vigorously resist infringements on our privacy. Castells offers both awareness and thoughtful debate on the topic and they are some great first steps.
Castells discusses many of the predictions and wishful propositions surrounding the Internet over the years. Armed with hindsight, he is quite effective at debating their validity. He himself refrains from making any prediction of his own. This, coupled with his meandering writing style made the book a difficult read.
Overall, the book was interesting and thought-provoking. I would recommend the potential reader find a quiet place, free of distractions.
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Summary: Castells Internet Galaxy
Review: Castells' book "The Internet Galaxy - Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society" does exactly that. He explores the history of the internet and many aspects of its development through the year 2001 (the publication date of the book). The writing is technical enough at times to confuse the average reader but nothing that requires knowledge of a computer language. He discusses businesses around the globe and how they've influenced the development of the internet, and offers an explanation for the dot com craze and the stock market crash that followed. He covers the impact of the internet on society and the impact of society on the internet, including racial and global distribution percentages and reflections on each of those figures. Readers should be aware that Castells talks about other works alot and uses difficult wording throughout the entire book. Reading can be painstaking at times; however each chapter contains thought provoking material.
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Summary: Castells' book review
Review: Castells' book "The Internet Galaxy" is hard for me to follow, since the information and terminologies that he used is somewhat like foreign language to me, it difficult for me to grasp the view that he tried to address. In his book there are two areas regarding the issue on the "Hackers" and "Privacy" topics are fascination for me, which help me more cautious when using the Internet that request my personal information. Over all I think he did a fair work on provided the information regard Internet aspect and how its impact our daily life.
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