information society

Traces the history of information technology from the invention of scripts and alphabets to the twenty-first century, and profiles individuals who contributed to advances, including Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer, Ada Byron, the first true programmer Samuel Morse, Alan Turing, and others.

Contains an overview of the global political and economic change since the turn of the twenty-first century, discussing the rapid developments in technologies that has allowed India and China to become part of a growing supply chain of manufacturing impacting global markets.

Contains fourteen essays that offer varying perspectives on issues related to cyberlife, including the prevalence of and reasons for virtual worlds, personal interaction in online games, the addictiveness of online gaming, the educational value of online games, and other topics, and provides contact information for organizations and a bibliography.

Contains facts, tables, charts, and statistics on various aspects of the Internet and other electronics in the U.S., covering the rise of the Internet and cell phones and such topics as business, education, government, health resources, entertainment media, crime, daily life, and public opinion.