An analysis of the virtual community of online networking, revealing the similarities between inter-personal relationships in the virtual world with the way people relate outside. Both the supportive and the darker sides of people's behaviour online is explored.
In this work, Howard Rheingold tells the story of what he call the patriarchs, pioneers and infonauts of the computer, focusing in particular on such pioneers as J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Bob Taylor and Alan Kay.
This work previews what the author predicts will be a new shift in techno-culture spurred by advances in mobile communication, providing examples of current indicators and citing the technology's vulnerabilities.