Mediapolis: Popular Culture and the City

by Marc Schuilenburg, Alex de Jong

In Mediapolis the authors sound out an urban environment pulsing to the rhythm of the popular media, exploring the interaction between the real and the virtual world, high and pop culture. This timely exploration introduces a pop philosophy whose concepts include the urban container, sonic communities and nodal urbanity and where technological, political, economic and military developments meet head on.

224 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2006

About the author

Marc Schuilenburg is the author of three books, including 'Hysteria: Crime, Media, and Politics' and 'The Securitization of Society', which was awarded the triennial Willem Nagel Prize. In his latest book 'Hysteria' (2021), he examines what hysteria is and why it is fuelled by a culture that not only abuses, but also encourages and rewards it. During his writing, he listens to John Coltrane, Radiohead, Actress, Scratch Lee Perry, Autechre, Pharoah Sanders, and Morrissey. He lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Reviews

[Sabot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked this book. It reads like a philosophical essay, focussing on the concepts of 'city' and 'virtual space' and how they shape each other. I would have preferred a few more concrete examples on the actual intercourse between virtual and non-virtual spaces, but overall I enjoyed reading it. It's definitely more digestible than say a slavoj zizek book, but will probably only be of interest to people who like pop-philosophy.