7.0365 Virtual Books (1/15)
Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Tue, 21 Dec 1993 16:17:39 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 7, No. 0365. Tuesday, 21 Dec 1993.
Date: 17 Dec 1993 19:48:25 -0500 (CDT)
From: MCSWAIN@Acd.Tusk.Edu
Subject: Information superhighway
In light of the high level advocacy for an information superhighway from
the Clinton administration, I wish to point readers to Howard Rheingold's
book _THE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY: HOMESTEADING ON THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER_
(Addison-Wesley). It proposes what I think is an interesting thesis
about on-line communication and interactive entertainment and information.
Rheingold argues that many people hope to gain from on-line activities
relationships with other people on a meaningful level through debate,
exchange of information, queries etc. (what we do on HUMANIST I guess).
He also insists that the billons spent on interactive entertainment is a
misleading paper trail that only offers participants an unsatisfactory
simulation of the longed for reality of commitment to other people (real
people with minds and a will). There is a good review of the book in
_BusinessWeek_ magazine, December 20, 1993, pp. 15, 18-19, by Evan I.
Schwartz
Regards, James McSwain MCSWAIN@acd.tusk.edu