Book ID: CBB172015710

The Modem World: A Prehistory of Social Media (2022)

unapi

Driscoll, Kevin (Author)


Yale University Press


Publication Date: 2022
Physical Details: 328
Language: English

Fifteen years before the commercialization of the internet, millions of amateurs across North America created more than 100,000 small-scale computer networks. The people who built and maintained these dial-up bulletin board systems (BBSs) in the 1980s laid the groundwork for millions of others who would bring their lives online in the 1990s and beyond. From ham radio operators to HIV/AIDS activists, these modem enthusiasts developed novel forms of community moderation, governance, and commercialization. The Modem World tells an alternative origin story for social media, centered not in the office parks of Silicon Valley or the meeting rooms of military contractors, but rather on the online communities of hobbyists, activists, and entrepreneurs. Over time, countless social media platforms have appropriated the social and technical innovations of the BBS community. How can these untold stories from the internet’s past inspire more inclusive visions of its future?

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Reviewed By

Review Ian Milligan (2023) Review of "The Modem World: A Prehistory of Social Media". Technology and Culture (pp. 1000-1001). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB172015710/

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Authors & Contributors
Arnold, Michael
Bae, Young
Braman, Sandra
Cavanagh, Allison
Clarke, David D.
Johnston, Jessica R.
Journals
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society
Ethics, Place and Environment
History and Technology
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
Korea Observer
Publishers
UCL Press
Bollati Boringhieri
Columbia University Press
McGraw-Hill
Reaktion Books
Temple University Press
Concepts
Internet
Technology and society
Communication technology
Computer networks
Social media
Computers and computing
People
Jasanoff, Sheila
Time Periods
21st century
20th century, late
Renaissance
Modern
Early modern
Places
United States
Japan
Brazil
Chile
Korea
Australia
Institutions
Twitter (firm)
Facebook (firm)
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