Robin Mansell – författare

'Mobilizing the Information Society' provides a critical assessment of progress towards the Information Society. It begins from the premise that the construction of the Information Society in Europe is a dynamic process and that the journey towards a society that is so heavily dependent on capacities to generate, distribute, and use digital information is far from straightforward.The book draws upon empirical research generated by researchers based in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Italy, and France that was originally funded by the European Commission's Fourth Framework Advanced Communication Technologies and Services (ACTS) Programme which ran from 1994 to 1998. This book updates the original research, integrates the results around core themes, and provides an assessment of progress that has been made towards addressing key issues of interest to policy makers, the business community, and technology and service users. The authors lay the foundation for more useful theories of the process of change, more appropriate strategies to achieve the desired aims, and more effective policies for increasing the benefits and mitigating the effects of dislocation and exclusion from the Information Society.'Mobilizing the Information Society' provides unique insights into the social, economic, and political forces that are structuring the pathway to the Information Society - and its consequences for business and individuals in their everyday lives.

Mobilizing the Information Society comprehensively and critically examines the interaction between social, regulatory, and market developments underlying the growing use of new technologies such as the personal computer and the Internet. Based upon empirical research by an international team, it offers insights needed to understand public policy, corporate strategy, and individual choices taken in response to the deluge of new technological opportunities.A principal theme of Mobilizing the Information Society is that changes are governed by public decisions that establish the institutional framework in which the private sector operates. The quality and value of the information society for the citizen is not the inevitable consequence of market and technological forces. Policy choices, however, that fail to take market and technical influences into account will prove ineffective. The authors lay the foundation for improved theories of the process of change, more appropriate strategies to achieve desired aims, and more effective policies for mitigating the effects of dislocation and exclusion from the information society.Mobilizing the Information Society offers unique insights into the social, economic, and political forces that are structuring the pathway to the information society, and their consequences for businesses and citizens in their everyday lives.

What does it mean to live and work inside the information and communication technology revolution? The nature and significance of newly emerging patterns of social and technical interaction as digital technologies become more pervasive in the knowledge economy are the focus of this book. The places and spaces where digital technolgoies are in use are examined to show why such use may or may not be associated with improvements in society. Studies of on- and off-line interactions between individuals and of collective attempts to govern and manage the new technologies show that the communication revolution is essentially about people, social organization, adaptation, and control, not just technologies. This book contains original empirical studies conducted within a programme of research in the Information, Networks and Knowledge (INK) research centre at SPRU, University of Sussex.

What does it mean to live and work inside the information and communication technology revolution? The nature and significance of newly emerging patterns of social and technical interaction as digital technologies become more pervasive in the knowledge economy are the focus of this book. The places and spaces where digital technologies are in use are examined to show why such use may or may not be associated with improvements in society. Studies of on- and off-line interactions between individuals and of collective attempts to govern and manage the new technologies show that the communication revolution is essentially about people, social organization, adaptation, and control, not just technologies. This book contains original empirical studies conducted within a programme of research in the Information, Networks & Knowledge (INK) research centre at SPRU, University of Sussex. The authors draw upon cognitive, economic, management, political, and sociological theories to provide insights into the acceptance of and resistance to interactions made possible by the Internet; information and communication systems in the newspaper, insurance, and banking industries; electronic commerce services; and other applications such as geographic information systems.

The production and consumption of information and communication technologies (or ICTs) are becoming deeply embedded within our societies. The influence and implications of this have an impact at a macro level, in the way our governments, economies, and businesses operate, andat a micro level in our everyday lives. This handbook is about the many challenges presented by ICTs. It sets out an intellectual agenda that examines the implications of ICTs for individuals, organizations, democracy, and the economy.Explicity interdisciplinary, and combining empirical research with theoretical work, it is organised around four themes covering the knowledge economy; organizational dynamics, strategy, and design; governance and democracy; and culture, community and new media literacies.It provides a comprehensive resource for those working in the social sciences, and in the physical sciences and engineering fields, with leading contemporary research informed principally by the disciplines of anthropology, economics, philosophy, politics, and sociology.

The production and consumption of Information and Communication Technologies (or ICTs) has become embedded within our societies. The influence and implications of this have an impact at a macro level, in the way our governments, economies, and businesses operate, and in our everyday lives. This handbook is about the many challenges presented by ICTs. It sets out an intellectual agenda that examines the implications of ICTs for individuals, organizations, democracy, and the economy. Explicity interdisciplinary, and combining empirical research with theoretical work, it is organised around four themes covering the knowledge economy; organizational dynamics, strategy, and design; governance and democracy; and culture, community and new media literacies. It provides a comprehensive resource for those working in the social sciences, and in the physical sciences and engineering fields, with leading contemporary research informed principally by the disciplines of anthropology, economics, philosophy, politics, and sociology.

This book is an impressive survey of our collective and cumulative understanding of the evolution of digital communication systems and the Internet. Whilst the information societies of the twenty-first century will develop ever more sophisticated technologies, the Internet is now a familiar and pervasive part of the world in which we live, work, and communicate. As such it is important to take stock of some fundamental questions - whether, for example, it contributes to progress, social cohesion, democracy, and growth - and at the same time to review the rich and varied theories and perspectives developed by thinkers in a range of disciplines over the last fifty years or more.In this remarkably comprehensive but concise and useful book, Robin Mansell summarizes key debates, and reviews the contributions of major thinkers in communication systems, economics, politics, sociology, psychology, and systems theory - from Norbert Wiener to Brian Arthur and Manuel Castells, and from Gregory Bateson to William Davidow and Sherry Turkle. This is an interdisciplinary and critical analysis of the way we experience the Internet in front of the screen, and of the developments behind the screen, all of which have implications for privacy ,security, intellectual property rights, and the overall governance of the Internet. The author presents fairly the ideas of the celebrants and the sceptics, and reminds us of the continuing need for careful, critical, and informed analysis of the paradoxes and challenges of the Internet, offering her own views on how we might move to greater empowerment, and suggesting policy measures and governance approaches that go beyond those commonly debated. This concise book will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the challenges the Internet presents in the twenty-first century, and the debates and research that can inform that understanding.

This book is an impressive survey of our collective and cumulative understanding of the evolution of digital communication systems and the Internet. Whilst the information societies of the twenty-first century will develop ever more sophisticated technologies, the Internet is now a familiar and pervasive part of the world in which we live, work, and communicate. As such it is important to take stock of some fundamental questions - whether, for example, it contributes to progress, social cohesion, democracy, and growth - and at the same time to review the rich and varied theories and perspectives developed by thinkers in a range of disciplines over the last fifty years or more.In this remarkably comprehensive but concise and useful book, Robin Mansell summarizes key debates, and reviews the contributions of major thinkers in communication systems, economics, politics, sociology, psychology, and systems theory - from Norbert Wiener to Brian Arthur and Manuel Castells, and from Gregory Bateson to William Davidow and Sherry Turkle. This is an interdisciplinary and critical analysis of the way we experience the Internet in front of the screen, and of the developments behind the screen, all of which have implications for privacy ,security, intellectual property rights, and the overall governance of the Internet. The author presents fairly the ideas of the celebrants and the sceptics, and reminds us of the continuing need for careful, critical, and informed analysis of the paradoxes and challenges of the Internet, offering her own views on how we might move to greater empowerment, and suggesting policy measures and governance approaches that go beyond those commonly debated. This concise book will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the challenges the Internet presents in the twenty-first century, and the debates and research that can inform that understanding.

‘The information society’ refers to a constellation of developments arising from the growing use of communication technologies in the acquisition, storage, and processing of information, and the role of information in supporting the creation and exchange of knowledge. Research on information societies really began to take off in the 1970s when Daniel Bell wrote about ‘the information age’. While there were earlier works that focused on the growing importance of information in the economy, it was not until the mid-1990s and the spread of the Internet that this field of study experienced a huge expansion across a broad range of disciplines in the social sciences and beyond. A critical mass of scholarship has now accumulated, establishing ‘the information society’ and ‘information societies’ as a terrain of substance and complexity, the exploration and understanding of which requires increasingly sophisticated navigation skills. As research in and around the area continues to flourish as never before, this new title in Routledge’s Major Works series, Critical Concepts in Sociology, meets the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of a rapidly growing and ever more complex corpus of literature, and to provide a map of the area as it has emerged and developed over the last thirty years or so.The Information Society is fully indexed and has a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the material in its historical and intellectual context. It is an essential work of reference and is destined to be valued by scholars and students—as well as policy-makers and practitioners in the field—as a vital one-stop research resource.

The Handbook of Global Media and Communication Policy offers insights into the boundaries of this field of study, assesses why it is important, who is affected, and with what political, economic, social, and cultural consequences. Contributors draw on theory and empirical research to offer diverse perspectives on the local, national, regional, and global forums in which policy debate occurs. Policy is understood as an emergent process, informed by historical context, power dynamics, and local/global interdependencies. Changes in the press, broadcasting, telecommunication, and the internet are shown to result from complex interactions among players including states, corporations, and civil society organizations as well as those who produce and use media and communications in all their guises.

The Handbook of Global Media and Communication Policy offers insights into the boundaries of this field of study, assesses why it is important, who is affected, and with what political, economic, social, and cultural consequences. Contributors draw on theory and empirical research to offer diverse perspectives on the local, national, regional, and global forums in which policy debate occurs. Policy is understood as an emergent process, informed by historical context, power dynamics, and local/global interdependencies. Changes in the press, broadcasting, telecommunication, and the internet are shown to result from complex interactions among players including states, corporations, and civil society organizations as well as those who produce and use media and communications in all their guises.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.This cutting edge book introduces the origins and consequences of digital platforms, examining how artificial intelligence-enabled digital platforms collect and process data from and about users by providing social media and e-commerce services. Robin Mansell and W. Edward Steinmueller compare and contrast neoclassical, institutional and critical political economy approaches. They show how uneven power relationships between platform operators and their users are analysed in different economic traditions.Key features include:analysis of economic and public valuesprovides a foundation for platform regulationexamines the impacts of platforms on the media industrychallenges claims of the inevitability of platform dominancediscusses key challenges, including: artificial intelligence, data sharing and competition in the digital economy.This concise book will be indispensable for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of media and communication studies, innovation studies and economics, particularly those focusing on platform economics.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.This cutting edge book introduces the origins and consequences of digital platforms, examining how artificial intelligence-enabled digital platforms collect and process data from and about users by providing social media and e-commerce services. Robin Mansell and W. Edward Steinmueller compare and contrast neoclassical, institutional and critical political economy approaches. They show how uneven power relationships between platform operators and their users are analysed in different economic traditions.Key features include:analysis of economic and public valuesprovides a foundation for platform regulationexamines the impacts of platforms on the media industrychallenges claims of the inevitability of platform dominancediscusses key challenges, including: artificial intelligence, data sharing and competition in the digital economy.This concise book will be indispensable for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of media and communication studies, innovation studies and economics, particularly those focusing on platform economics.

This state-of-the-art Handbook provides unique insights into the governance practices and institutions shaping digitalized public spheres. Focusing on the power relations involved, it presents diverse approaches to key debates in media and communication governance, showcasing groundbreaking advances in the field.Contributing authors explore the impact of long-standing trends such as commercialization, digitalization and transnationalization on media and communication governance, highlighting urgent new developments including algorithmization and datafication. Combining theoretical inquiry with cutting-edge empirical analysis, they address governance challenges at the regional, national and global levels to provide a broad view of the social ordering of media systems. Ultimately, the Handbook explores how to protect the public sphere in the digital age and ensure that media organizations and platforms meet democratic expectations.Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this Handbook is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of media and communication studies, digital governance, and platform studies. It will also be of interest to policy-makers seeking to develop effective regulatory systems for the modern media and communication environment.

This fascinating book gathers together an enviable range of experts from a variety of disciplines to study how trust and crime interact with new digital technologies. It provides a critical discussion on the prospects of the Internet and on the future of crime and crime prevention. It also presents a realistic vision of the implications and uncertainties of future developments in cyberspace, and identifies the key issues affecting the way in which today's complex information societies are evolving.The distinguished authors begin by exploring the social, economic and technological issues surrounding cyberspace. They identify the measures that need to be implemented to avoid the potential for the Internet to encourage new types of crime and to facilitate traditional crime. They then analyse topics such as the possible drivers of the evolution of cyberspace, the prospects created by innovations in technology, the threats and barriers to cyberspace development, and the feasibility and effectiveness of proposed crime prevention measures. They also address the important issues of risk, privacy and trust in cyberspace, and discuss the ethical, legal and regulatory issues. This important new book will be of immense value to academics and researchers with an interest in the social and technological aspects of information and communication technologies, law, criminology, public policy, Internet security and risk management. It will also appeal to a broad audience that is concerned about the potential threats posed by the advance of the information superhighway.

This fascinating book gathers together an enviable range of experts from a variety of disciplines to study how trust and crime interact with new digital technologies. It provides a critical discussion on the prospects of the Internet and on the future of crime and crime prevention. It also presents a realistic vision of the implications and uncertainties of future developments in cyberspace, and identifies the key issues affecting the way in which today's complex information societies are evolving.The distinguished authors begin by exploring the social, economic and technological issues surrounding cyberspace. They identify the measures that need to be implemented to avoid the potential for the Internet to encourage new types of crime and to facilitate traditional crime. They then analyse topics such as the possible drivers of the evolution of cyberspace, the prospects created by innovations in technology, the threats and barriers to cyberspace development, and the feasibility and effectiveness of proposed crime prevention measures. They also address the important issues of risk, privacy and trust in cyberspace, and discuss the ethical, legal and regulatory issues. This important new book will be of immense value to academics and researchers with an interest in the social and technological aspects of information and communication technologies, law, criminology, public policy, Internet security and risk management. It will also appeal to a broad audience that is concerned about the potential threats posed by the advance of the information superhighway.

Standards and standardization policies increasingly influence innovation and competitiveness. As well as examining how standards are developed and applied, this important new book considers whether technical standards function as effective public policy instruments and components in the processes of industrial globalization.Much of the existing literature in the field makes reference either to information and communication technologies or to the protection and management of the natural environment. In Standards, Innovation and Competitiveness there is a recognition of how closely integrated both sectors have become over questions of process, the role of scientific assessment, and the 'network' effects that accompany standardization. The contributors shift the research and policy focus away from narrowly defined sectoral concerns, towards a more generic view of standards and standards-setting, and their roles as instruments of public policy. With nineteen papers by authors from seven countries, the blend of approaches ranges from formal economic analysis, through political, sociological, and historical analysis, to pragmatic discussions by standards makers themselves. The subjects discussed include issue definition, methodological approaches, political articulation of public and private sector agendas, organizational and decision-making processes, the role of technology users in standardization, and the relationship between standardization and innovation.

Throughout its 65-year history, the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) has sought to facilitate international exchanges and research collaborations among academics and journalists in the field of media and communication.