Reviews for Digital Culture

1. A stimulating read

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, July 12nd, 2003

   This is a highly recommended book and a pretty important one. Other books in this field give a history of the technology or a survey of what is going on at the moment. This book offers a history of the thinking and the concepts that have made the technology possible.

   The introduction makes the point eloquently by describing the threat of the Millennium bug. Although it turned out to be a damp squib, the fact that so much panic was caused by the absence of two digits showed how dependent modern life has become on technology.

   What follows is a story of how digital culture developed to the point it’s at now. The trail starts in the nineteenth century with Charles Babbage and concludes firmly in the twenty first century with The Matrix. In between, the book reads a like a wild surf of the Internet, segueing from subject to subject with an exhilaration that smacks of Greil Marcus.

   Behind the pacey, almost breathless style lies an engaging and unique alternative history. This is definitely not a retelling of a familiar story, of the growth of technology; rather it is a book about the cultural references, the sociological events and the thinking that produces the technology, told as a series of strands, coherently woven together. It embraces a heady mix of art, music, literature, politics and alternative culture, which inform and enrich the subject matter to create a captivating read.

   Gere has produced a stimulating and thought- provoking book. He has managed to narrate an important story in a most engaging style, showing by referencing the familiar how digital technology has been shaped, not just by scientists in white coats, but by an eclectic mix; and uniquely illustrates our own involvement in the development of digital culture, making this a book that should appeal to all.