Review: WHITE NOISE, An A-Z of the contradictions in cyberculture, by Andrew Calcutt

In this context, as we have seen,cyberspace is often talked about as the latest

in long line places where humanity is destined to screw up (WHITE NOISE, p. 160)

We can say that title corresponding with content. Author basically see every attribute, possibility, of the cyberspace in two diametrically different ways, which is visible from first look on every chapter for example Anarchy/Authority. Main sources and references presented in this is book are from printed matters, because how author saying, the main reason for this was a good job of editors. But this can be debatable, in one hand author things that editors are doing good job, but in other hand he criticized emendation of this authors.

Also we can see here, that author using mostly the same sources, and they are only from United Kingdom or United States of America. (The Guardian, Wired, Time, The Indipendent, Sunday Times, New York Time, Fortune, Evening standart, The Observer, News week, Financial times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Business week) Question is why?? That is only place where we can see a cyberculture in whole Earth?? Common… The reason why I named individually every single source, is very simple. If you really interested, you can scout around who is behind this newspapers (who is owning them, why author choose only them,…)

The most thing that I appreciating on this book is that author give to the readers possibility to see every contradiction from two different angles (positive, negative) and It is up to the reader too think about it, and make your own conclusion. Author giving us some facts about the topic, and If you are interested you can do your own research and after that, you are able to said what is point of view for the topic. I think that is the best way how the bring the people to the critical way of thinking, not just accepting of things how they are served up to us in this days (newspapers, TV, Radio).

We can see only positive ideas how is social networking, internet, blogging good for in every corner, but what about the contradictions, and negative side of things. Everything have also a negative side. Don´t forget about it. Think! Make some researching before you say your opinion on the things. I like especially chapters FREE/FEE, OVERLOAD/INFORMATION, and JOURNALIZM/PERSONALIZM.

FREE/FEE

Chapter is mainly about the idea, that internet would (not) remain outside the market economy, and there is one more idea that internet should not be only the money making machine. Very interesting fact -The 10 largest telecoms giants made bigger profits that 25 largest banks!!!

OVERLOAD INFORMATION

Very simple explanation “ Information overload can hurt your healthy!” It is good to have unlimited possibility to find informations, but every extreme is bad, don ´t forget about it.

JOURNALIZM/PERSONALIZM

Author describing here light side (personalization, timesaving,…) and dark sides(no editors-no control of objectivity and truthfulness, passive mode of existence..) of narrow casting. I really like especially his negative view, because some people think that, narrow casting is very useful tool but, they don´t see a things behind, like passive mode of existence, people only reading and not thinking and talking anymore.

But you can see also in the book that some facts in the book are absolutely bullshit. One example, author saying „“quoted p. Actually in 1989, during the velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia nobody knows about existing internet, maybe only few people had a connection at that time. I know that because I from Slovakia, even you ask anyone about that thing, you will always get the same answer. Interntet in that time, are you kidding me??

I was disappointed about lack of informations, blogs,.. on the internet. Maybe it is realated with date when the book was published, but anyway if your are writing about topic like cyberculture, you have part of cyberculture! Topic of contradictions in cyberculture is very wide and, what i really appreciate is perfect organization into chapters, and reduction of facts to optimal level. This book is designated for people which are deeply interested, and we can say, that language is little bit heavy-footed.