It has become not uncommon for emerging "New Media" pundits to compare the state of the World Wide Web and all things cyber to that of the television, circa 1949, just before it invaded every home in America, and eternally transformed everything. As would-be cybernauts in industries ranging from entertainment to finance to farm equipment are trying to figure out how to best exploit the digital revolution, it seems appropriate to take a step back, get an overview of the situation, and try to answer the question, "What exactly is going on here?" Douglas Rushkoff, author, media and social theorist, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, filmmaker, and software developer, does exactly that.
The questions he addresses are far ranging. Why the fascination with computers in general, and the Internet in particular? Why do kids nowadays prefer video games and surfing the Net over watching television or going to the movies? Are Beavis and Butthead really ingenious "Buddhist semioticians?" How does all this affect our social fabric? Is this as big as television?
