The Digital Divide: Arguments for and Against Facebook, Google, Texting, and the Age of Social Networking-Fast Shipping

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This definitive work on the perils and promise of the social- media revolution collects writings by today’s best thinkers andcultural commentators, with an all-new introduction byBauerlein.

Twitter, Facebook, e-publishing, blogs, distance-learning and othersocial media raise some of the most divisive cultural questions of ourtime. Some see the technological breakthroughs we live with as hopefuland democratic new steps in education, information gathering, and humanprogress. But others are deeply concerned by the eroding of civilityonline, declining reading habits, withering attention spans, and thetreacherous effects of 24/7 peer pressure on our young.

With The Dumbest Generation, Mark Bauerlein emerged as theforemost voice against the development of an overwhelming digitalsocial culture. But The Digital Divide doesn’t take sides. Framing thediscussion so that leading voices from across the spectrum, supportersand detractors alike, have the opportunity to weigh in on the profoundissues raised by the new media-from questions of reading skills andattention span, to cyber-bullying and the digital playground- Bauerlein’s new book takes the debate to a higher ground.

The book includes essays by Steven Johnson, Nicholas Carr, DonTapscott, Douglas Rushkoff, Maggie Jackson, Clay Shirky, Todd Gitlin,and many more. Though these pieces have been previously published, theorganization of The Digital Divide gives them freshness and newrelevancy, making them part of a single document readers can use totruly get a handle on online privacy, the perils of a plugged-inchildhood, and other technology-related hot topics.

Rather than dividing the book into “pro” and “con” sections, theessays are arranged by subject-“The Brain, the Senses,” “Learning inand out of the Classroom,” “Social and Personal Life,” “TheMillennials,” “The Fate of Culture,” and “The Human (and Political)Impact.” Bauerlein incorporates a short headnote and a capsule bioabout each contributor, as well as relevant contextual informationabout the source of the selection.

Bauerlein also provides a new introduction that traces thedevelopment of the debate, from the initial Digital Age zeal, to a waveof skepticism, and to a third stage of reflection that wavers betweencriticism and endorsement.

Enthusiasms for the Digital Age has cooled with the passage of timeand the piling up of real-life examples that prove the risks of anonline-focused culture. However, there is still much debate, comprisingthousands of commentaries and hundreds of books, about how thesetechnologies are rewriting our futures. Now, with this timely anddefinitive volume, readers can finally cut through the clamor, read thethe very best writings from each side of The Digital Divide, andmake more informed decisions about the presence and place of technologyin their lives.