Information Society Studies [Paperback]

We are often told that we are living in an information society or that we are information workers. But what exactly do these claims mean, and how might they be verified? In this important methodological study, Alistair S. Duff cuts through the rhetoric to get to the bottom of the information society thesis. Wide-ranging in coverage, this study will be of interest to scholars in information science, communication and media studies and social theory. It is a key text for the newly-unified specialism of information society studies, and an indispensable guide to the future of this discipline.1. Introduction.  2. The information sector version of the information society thesis.  3. The information flows version of the information society thesis.  4. The information technology version of the information society thesis  5. Synthetic methodology of the information society thesis  6. Overall conclusions.  Coda: An agenda for information Society Studies.  Appendix 1: Database searches.  Appendix 2: Telephone interview with Youichi Ito.  Appendix 3: Periodicals carrying articles on the information society between 1984 and 1997.We are often told that we are living in an information society or that we are information workers. But what exactly do these claims mean, and how might they be verified? In this important methodological study, Alistair S. Duff cuts through the rhetoric to get to the bottom of the information society thesis. Wide-ranging in coverage, this study will be of interest to scholars in information science, communication and media studies and social theory. It is a key text for the newly-unified specialism of information society studies, and an indispensable guide to the future of this discipline.

'The book is well-structured, logically argued and stout in defence of its arguments. ... deserves a wide prfoessional audience for its insights into what l“9