| Abstract |
Through the lens of culture, this work looks at the role of the Internet as a catalyst in transforming communications, politics, and economics. The author explores the Internet's history and effects in four distinct and, to some, surprising societies, Iran, Estonia, South Korea, and Senegal. He profiles Web pioneers in these countries and, at the same time, surveys the environments in which they each work. After all, he contends, despite California's great success in creating the Internet and spawning companies like Apple and Google, in some areas the United States is still years behind other nations. Surprised? You won't be for long as the author proves there are reasons that: Skype was invented in Estonia, the same country that developed a digital ID system and e-voting; Iran was the first country in the world to arrest a blogger in 2003; South Korea is the most wired country on the planet, with faster and less expensive broadband than anywhere in the United States; Senegal may be one of sub-Saharan Africa's best chances for greater Internet access. The book brings forth a new complex and modern understanding of how the Internet spreads globally, with both good and bad effects. In the words of the author . "The Internet is not, in fact, a seed. It does not have the ability to bring about world peace and the elimination of the nation-state, any more than a telegraph did. It is but a tool, which when combined effectively with local political and economic realities, can have demonstrably positive and often surprising effects. However, this tool can be co-opted and/or fought against by regimes that are not ready for it to be used freely. This is why manifestations of the Internet remain so varied in different corners of the globe. This book tells the story of what happens when the Internet collides, head-on, with history unfamiliar to most Americans." |
