Digital Sublime: Myth, Power, and Cyberspace

by Vincent Mosco

Examines the myths of the digital era and other technological advances--such as the telephone and television--and explains why people feel compelled to believe that digital technology is destined to open up a new world.

Genres: Technology, Nonfiction, Communication

232 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 2004

About the author

Vincent Mosco (Ph.D. Harvard) is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Queen's University and Distinguished Professor of Communication, New Media Centre, Fudan University, Shanghai. At Queen's, Dr. Mosco held the Canada Research Chair in Communication and Society. His research interests include the political economy of communication, the social impacts of information technology, and the future of cities.

Reviews

[Wendy Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

On how the myths around technology ("it'll change the world forever!!") pop up every time there's a new form of technology on the horizon (electricity, radio, TV, etc), and so we should be suspicious of the current wave of mythology around digital technology. Some of it is dated, and there's way too much detail on the specifics of the narratives around radio/TV/electricity etc, but there are some excellent points about how digital technologies interact with the process of commodification & politics in general.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moscow masterfully fuses the power and cyberspace to create a work of art that sweeps thought provoking inspiration into this magnificent opus

[morbidflight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, and there are definitely some interesting/valuable bits to it. On the whole, however, it's fairly superficial, circular, and paradoxically dense. I like his ideas and I like that this book was written, but this wasn't the book it should have been.

[Devon]

A friend of mine reviewed this book 3 years ago but I just rediscovered it on my bookshelf.

[Tyera · Rating 5 out of 5]

i owe my introduction to Myth to this book.
i have drawn on mosco's theories about the idealization and demonization of technological determinism (esp. in media) many times since reading this book.

[Anders · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gay romp through hyperspace... no, not really, but close!