How to Think about Information

by Dan Schiller

It is common wisdom that the U.S. economy has adapted to losses in its manufacturing base because of the booming information sector, with high-paying jobs for everything from wireless networks to video games. We are told we live in the Information Age, in which communications networks and media and information services drive the larger economy. While the Information Age may have looked sunny in the beginning, as it has developed it looks increasingly its economy and benefits grow more and more centralized--and in the United States, it has become less and less subject to democratic oversight. Corporations around the world have identified the value of information and are now seeking to control its production, transmission, and consumption. In  How to Think about Information,  Dan Schiller explores the ways information has been increasingly commodified as a result and how it both resembles and differs from other commodities. Through a linked series of theoretical, historical, and contemporary studies, Schiller reveals this commodification as both dynamic and expansionary, but also deeply conflicted and uncertain. He examines the transformative political and economic changes occurring throughout the informational realm and analyzes key dimensions of the process, including the buildup of new technological platforms, the growth of a transnationalizing culture industry, and the role played by China as it reinserts itself into an informationalized capitalism.

Genres: Library Science

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights were Schiller's "follow the porn" (my term, not his) theory about what drives new communication technology adoption, and the discussion of why wireless networks suck compared to land lines (hint: it's the Man, not technological constraints) and how this is emblematic of the cultural shift taking place around ICTs (e.g. low quality expectations by an increasingly individuated populace).

I had a class with Dan at UIUC, and loved it. If you were not among those who agreed that learning about the political and economic forces that shaped the 19th century development of the U.S. Postal Service was critical to understanding ICTs, you probably won't enjoy this book either.

[Miglena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schiller's book leaves you changed forever on how you look at information. His ultra innovative ways of comparing and contrasting information flows to various fields such as biotechnology will make you take a different point of view and see how commodification has transposed from goods and services to something entirely intangible such as information. He takes a long and hard look at different organizations that govern the flows of information around the world, and how they have changed not only the patterns of distribution, but ultimately the content itself.
It's a must read for a journalism or communication professional!