Description
About the Author
William H. Dutton is Emeritus Professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. In 2002, Dutton became the founding Director of the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and first Professor of Internet Studies at the University of Oxford, during which time he was a Professorial Fellow of Balliol College. He left Oxford in 2014 for a Professorial Chair of Media and Information Policy at Michigan State University, where he was Director of the Quello Center. Dutton returned to Oxford in 2018, where he is affiliated with the University of Oxford as an OII Fellow and Oxford Martin Fellow and supports the Computer Science Department's Global Cybersecurity Capacity Center (GCSCC). He is also a Visiting Professor in the School of Media and Communications at the University of Leeds.
Reviews
This is the most important book by Dutton, a leading scholar on the social dimensions of network technologies. It shows the reconfiguration of power in a multimodal digital communication environment. Essential reading for students, researchers, business leaders, and policymakers. * Manuel Castells, Wallis Annenberg Chair of Communication Technology and Society, University of Southern California *
Scholars have spent two decades trying to understand the internet's potential to transform societies. This compelling work, replete with rich examples, moves beyond narrow analysis of individuals, institutions, and innovations to argue for the emergence of a Fifth Estate through which networked individuals capitalize on digital tools to hold those in power to account. Only by understanding this potential can we make best use of it, meaning, ideally, everyone should read this book. * Victoria Nash, Director of the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford *
The concept of the Fifth Estate is simple but profound in its implications. In tracing the empowerment of interconnected individuals, Dutton restores lost optimism about the democratic potential of digital media. He provides a balanced analysis of societal trends, individual actions, and alarmist counter-restrictions by established institutions. Dutton's broad perspectives, gems of examples, and clear prose add up to a significant book whose central concept will leave its mark. * Eli Noam, Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia University *
Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. * Choice *
In developing the concept of the Fifth Estate, Dutton pushes us to consider the wider socio-political impact of the internet. Rather than just being a new technology, it has created a space in which different actors are able to organise and challenge established practices in the public interest...Having marshalled a wide range diverse cases, drawing on a career following the development and potential of these tools, Dutton makes a compelling case for the need to recognise and value their contribution in creating new opportunities. * Thomas O'Brien, Information, Communication and Society *
In developing the concept of the Fifth Estate, Dutton pushes us to consider the wider socio-political impact of the internet. Rather than just being a new technology, it has created a space in which different actors are able to organise and challenge established practices in the public interest...Having marshalled a wide range diverse cases, drawing on a career following the development and potential of these tools, Dutton makes a compelling case for the need to recognise and value their contribution in creating new opportunities. * Thomas O'Brien, Information, Communication and Society *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190688363
Author William H. Dutton
Format Hardback
Page Count 286
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 156mm * 235mm * 20mm