Review Essay: New Information and Communication Technologies and their Effect on Space

Authors

  • Jan Schmidt Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-3.4.821

Keywords:

information and communication technologies, sociology of space, Internet

Abstract

The reviewed book is a systematic and well-written introduction to the field of information and communication technologies. Starting from WERSIG's focus on technical aspects, this paper concentrates on one dimension of the social context of technology: its influence on space. Issues of "placelessness" or "end of space" are discussed, especially in connection with the Internet; they fail, however, to recognize the various connections between "cyberspace" and real space. For example, the technological infrastructure and its spatial distribution constitute structures of centre and periphery. Additionally, contents such as Community Networks and City Guides directly refer to real space, thus adding another dimension to "the local. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0204255

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Jan Schmidt, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg

Dipl. Soz. Jan SCHMIDT hat in Bamberg und Morgantown, WV (USA) Soziologie studiert. Seit Anfang 2000 arbeitet er an der Forschungsstelle "Neue Kommunikationsmedien" an der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg in verschiedenen Forschungsprojekten. Seine Dissertation behandelt die Konstitution des lokalen Raums im Internet.

Published

2002-11-30

How to Cite

Schmidt, J. (2002). Review Essay: New Information and Communication Technologies and their Effect on Space. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-3.4.821

Issue

Section

Online-Research / New Media