From Publishers Weekly
Avid e-mailers and zealous Web surfers recognize that the Internet possesses its own linguistic system: grammar and mechanics are less important, abbreviations and "emoticons" are more so. But the differences in communication don't stop there. Gurak (Persuasion and Privacy in Cyberspace), an associate professor and director of the Internet Studies Center at the University of Minnesota, goes beyond examining the electronic world's free-and-easy wordsmithing to tackle the fundamental characteristics of how people online really communicate with one another. Becoming cyberliterate, she writes, means that one must "recognize that technologies have consequences, and that we can decide how we allow the Internet to be part of our lives." Cyberliteracy is a new skill: not only do online communications have aspects of both oral and written speech, they vary in their legitimacy netizens must analyze them to separate logical argument from illogical rant and e-mail hoax from e-mail truth. When defining cyberliteracy and detailing its effects, the book is convincing; when Gurak describes what an e-mail flame is, or how easy it is to shop online, however, she treads on familiar ground. Her thoughts on anonymity and gender are shared by many of her colleagues and other writers, and the enduring online privacy debates are given a cursory glance that fails to advance either side of the argument. When she sticks close to her academic rhetorician's roots, Gurak's writing is lively and edifying, but when she strays into broader and oft-considered topics, the work falters.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Gurak's premise is that "technologies have social consequences," and that an engaged, informed citizenry is essential if we are to tap technical advances in communication for the public good, and not just for commercial success. In opening chapters, she articulates four elements that characterize Internet communication-speed, reach, anonymity, and interactivity-and, in subsequent discussion, shows how these features conspire to spark changes in language use, attitudes, and behaviors on the part of online users. A laissez-faire approach by government to regulation of the Internet is viewed as inadequate in the face of concerns for privacy, and the U.S. posture on this key issue is contrasted with that taken in Europe. Gurak uses telling examples to flesh out her reasoning that it is vital to take control of our e-spaces, and in so doing provides a valuable alert to students willing to consider both the potential and the pitfalls of this medium. She urges the online community to be proactive, to develop critical analytical skills, and to voice concerns with an eye to industry decisions that have an impact on our wired lives. A final, well-phrased caution is that, ultimately, when the physical meets the virtual, "physicality rules." This book is a solid resource for contemporary-issues reports or for debate material; it offers an ample bibliography, plus links to Web sites of professional organizations interested in preserving privacy, shaping public policy, and focusing on the challenges of cyberspace.
Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
