Disorder and the Disinformation Society

"Disorder and the Disinformation Society is a groundbreaking collective effort. The study shifts our attention from hyped possibilities to the dark side of our excessive information flows. After the digital rush, let's get analytic and study the informational impulse. We can no longer deny the multitudes of failures. As Freud already taught us: it is through the study of disorder that we hold a mirror to society and learn about the laws of society. In order to prevent eternal repetition of the same complaints, let's develop the necessary critical concepts. How will the data catharsis look like? This book is an excellent attempt at that practice." - Geert Lovink, internet critic, Institute of Network Cultures and European Graduate School "Rather than considering disorder and disinformation an undesirable by-product of networking, the authors make a convincing case for the persistence of unintended and unplanned consequences of human actionespecially as applied to information networks. Provocative, creative, and meticulously researched, this remarkable study changes our understanding of our todays information society in profound ways. Not to be missed!" - Manfred B. Steger, Professor of Political Science, University of Hawaii-Manoa, and author of Globalization: A Very Short Introduction

Jonathan Paul Marshall is an anthropologist and senior research associate at the University of Technology Sydney. James Goodman conducts research into social change and global politics and is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology, Sydney. Didar Zowghi is Professor of Software Engineering, and the Director of the research centre for Human-Centred Technology Design (HCTD) at the Faculty of Engineering and IT at UTS. Francesca da Rimini is an Honorary Associate at the University of Technology, Sydney (Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology).

Introduction: Information Society and Disorder 1. Disorder and Social Theory 2. Robustness and Order in Theories of the Information Society 3. Computers, Systems, Instability and Failure 4. Networks, Disorder, Unpredictability 5. Disorders of Information 6. Capitalism and Disinformation 7. Software Development 8. Software Disorder and Everyday Life 9. Finance, Crisis and Informationalism 10. Disorders of the Commons, Peer to Peer 11. Information-Disorder in Academia 12. Communication Technology and the Origins of Global Justice Movements. Conclusion: Disinformation Society