Second Medium Age

Author: Mark Poster / Fan Jinghua (USA)
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2001-05-01
Features: This book examines the implications of new communication technologies based on recent writings in social theory and cultural theory. Poster critically evaluates the concepts of technology and media within various traditions of cultural theory, aiming to rethink the relationship between humans and machines. The authors also explore postmodern theory and the debates surrounding multiculturalism in the context of new media. Poster argues that the new developments in electronic media, such as the Internet and virtual reality, may alter our communication habits and deeply reposition our identities, justifying the designation of an "Age of the Second Medium." Poster evaluates the contributions of numerous theorists, including Baudrillard, Lyotard, Habermas, Haraway, and Guattari. Building on his previous work, The Information Age, he further develops his unique and innovative methodology, applying it to analyze various cultural materials, such as Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing, Wagner's opera The Ring of the Nibelung, and television coverage of the Gulf War. The Second Medium Age is a must-read for students and scholars of media studies, cultural studies, sociology, and social theory.