Digital Cosmopolitans: Why We Think the Internet Connects Us, Why It Doesn't, and How to Rewire It

by Ethan Zuckerman

Overview

“One of our most important books on globalization.” —Steve O’Keefe, New York Journal of Books

The enormous scope of the Internet can lead us to assume that as the online community grows, our world grows smaller and more cosmopolitan. In Digital Cosmopolitans, Ethan Zuckerman explains why the technological ability to communicate with someone does not guarantee human interaction or the healthy exchange of information and ideas. Combining the latest psychological and sociological research with current trends both online and off, Digital Cosmopolitans highlights the challenges we face and the headway being made in creating a world that is truly connected.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393350326
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/10/2014
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ethan Zuckerman is the founder of the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and associate professor of public policy, information, and communication. From 2011–20, he led the Center for Civic Media at the MIT Media Lab. He is cofounder with Rebecca MacKinnon of the international blogging community Global Voices.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Secrets and Mysteries 1

Disconnect

Chapter 1 Connection, Infection, Inspiration 71

Chapter 2 Imaginary Cosmopolitanism 38

Chapter 3 When What We Know is Whom We Know 75

Rewire

Chapter 4 Global Voices 121

Chapter 5 Found in Translation 132

Chapter 6 Taken in Context 167

Chapter 7 Serendipity and the City 206

The Wider World

Chapter 8 The Connected Shall Inherit 249

Acknowledgments 273

Notes 277

Index 301

Editorial Reviews

"Zuckerman takes us on a journey that explores how even

in our hyper-modern, overconnected, crazy-fast world, we

need to take extra steps to make sure we’re exploring people,

places, and stories around us."— Cyrus Farivar Ars Technica

"[A] patient, thoughtful rebuttal to the widespread embrace of the Internet as a facilitator of global understanding."— Astra Taylor Bookforum

"Starred review. Fascinating and powerful. . . . Zuckerman’s imaginative and

inventive reflections offer a resourceful guide to living a connected

life with intention and insight."— Publishers Weekly

"Ethan Zuckerman is a true cosmopolitan, a citizen of the universe. . . . He describes how our new communications tools allow us to take part in a truly global conversation and why almost none of us actually take advantage of that opportunity."— Clay Shirky, author of Cognitive Surplus and Here Comes Everybody

"A rich tapestry of stories, data, and theories . . . challenges many of our core assumptions about globalization and connectedness and how the Internet affects us. It is a book well worth reading."— Yochai Benkler, author of The Penguin and the Leviathan and The Wealth of Networks

"No one is in a better position than MIT and Harvard’s Ethan Zuckerman to confront the Internet’s failure to connect us across cultures. . . .  An essential and urgent read."— David Weinberger, author of Too Big to Know

"Ethan Zuckerman is the real deal, a thinker and activist brilliantly connected to what’s really happening on the Internet on a genuinely global basis."— Craig Newmark, founder, craigslist and craigconnects

From the Publisher