20世紀初，緩慢但穩定的人口從內陸城市外流到郊區。目前，我們正目睹一個類似新世紀到來所產生的轉變。隨著個人電腦、移動通訊設備和網路近用等新技術的傳佈，我們的文化正參與了大規模的電子遷移，而James Harkin christens將最終目標命名為“Cyburbia” – 乙太網路，在我們生活中佔據許多時間的地方。
從前，沒有簡訊，沒有e-mail，沒有Facebook、Bebo、Twitter和MySpace。這些新型傳播場所，從根本上改變了我們的生活－而下一步會是什麼？我們只能猜測。Lost in cyburbia像一場及時雨，創新的描繪了數位生活的結構、過去70年來如何發展，以及未來將走向何方。書中敘述Norbert Weiner（控制
論發明者）和Marshall McLuhan的學說如何啟發60、70年代反文化的激進派，追蹤他們的先驅理念及理論工作，奠定了外於權力的直接傳播系統。
Harkin探究資訊直接近用與分享的箇中奧妙，同時思考這個分享過程中的利弊得失。我們比以往更緊密聯繫或是更加孤立？人們的思考過程已永遠改變？網路的民主性質正慢慢受到公司利益的侵蝕？或者，一如我們曾經期待，網路將喚醒一種新的全球意識？
作者簡介
James Harkin is Director of Talks at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and writes regularly for the Guardian and the Financial Times magazine. He is the author of Big Ideas: The Essential Guide to the Latest Thinking, and was associate producer of the BBC documentary The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom?
推薦因素
“A fine book…. Harkin’s indictment of how we have come to misuse the Internet is both persuasive and deeply disturbing…. You need to start reading books again. My advice is that you start with James Harkin’s Lost in Cyburbia.” — National Post
“Entertaining, engaging and well-argued…. Cyburbia is just the sort of corrective to the blind techno-optimism of the networked world that we need if we’re to make sensible choices about our digital tomorrows.” — Bill Thompson, BBC Focus Magazine
“Lively and enjoyable.” — Financial Times
“Fascinating and slightly disturbing.” — Waterstone’s Books Quarterly
“[Harkin’s] roll call of the eccentric and little-known pioneers of the computer revolution is fascinating.”
— The Scotsman
“Harkin is a fine guide to the alleys and dark spaces of Cyburbia.” — The Daily Telegraph
“Cyburbia is a persuasive book, and a brave step in thinking about the mess we may have all got ourselves into.” — The Daily Telegraph
“James Harkin constructs the notion of a place called ‘Cyburbia’, akin to 1950s Suburbia where conformism abounds. He writes about it as a place where people go, sometimes to search out information, other times to browse material in a hyperactive manner, or other times to waste time. With his exploration of Cyburbia, Harkin reveals the often over-looked history of this place and its cultural and social evolution…. [He] do[es] a nice job of revealing something more about our society and about the ways we’re changing our values — for better or for worse…. Harkin writes convincingly that it was out of a conviction of our common humanity that the internet’s social networking capacity grew.” — Ryerson Free Press
“Harkin is no Luddite, and his discussion of these issues is as sophisticated as it gets…. [M]any of Harkin’s analyses are fascinating, such as what he calls cyber-realism — non-linear storytelling that exploits cybernetics principles, exemplified by the movie 21 Grams…. For sure, we all need to manage how we manage our time and make sure we have balance in our lives, cherishing face-to-face engagement with those for whom we truly care. And it’s good for all of us to reflect on how to design our lives to ensure that the digital experience is enriching. As such the book is a useful reminder. If you buy it, try switching off Twitter and Facebook and read it from the beginning to the end, as I did. It’s a good narrative.”
— Don Tapscott, The Globe and Mail
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