ATG Book of the Week: Beyond the Blogosphere: Information and Its Children

Title: Beyond the Blogosphere: Information and Its Children

Author: Aaron Barlow and Robert Leston

ISBN: Hardcover: 978-0-313-39287-0; Ebook  978-0-313-39288-7
Price: Hardcover: $48;  e-book: Call for pricing.
Imprint: Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2011

Beyond the Blogosphere “looks at questions and answers pertaining to the organization, usage, and ownership of information in the Internet age—and the impact of shifting attitudes towards information ownership on creative endeavors.

The gates to a flood of amateur-produced media have been opened. The Internet has become a world—and we have become a species—that shares everything. When information is shared, fact and fiction blend, and we find ourselves beyond the blogosphere: an uncharted place where it’s easy to get lost among the mesmerizing, convoluted networks of information…

Highlights
• Provides a nuanced understanding of the implications of the digital revolution for information utilization
• Attempts to make sense of the changes in the production and organization of information resulting from Internet culture
• Takes the discussion to the next level in terms of the meaning and trajectory of this form of communication and its impact
• Discusses the meaning of information ownership vis-a-vis artists who are proponents of free culture, including Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid), William Burroughs, video artist Bill Viola, Negativland, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and others