The Digital Sublime

Any time I hear the phrase "the end of," I'll think of the Digital Sublime. Mosco explores myths of cyberspace and discusses the rhetoric of authors who prolong the illusion of a technologically deterministic future. By discussing myths of cyberspace embodied by 'the end of history, geography, and politics' and also comparing cyberspace to past technologies like the telegraph, radio, telephone, and television, the reader is first galvanized to doubt the prolonged impact of the Internet, and then primed for Mosco's counterpoint; things really aren't all that different than they used to be.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this one. One problem that I have with the book is that it focuses on issues at the macro level. Yes, Mosco does make his point that the Internet won't change a whole lot of the social sphere, but I would have liked to see more inclusion of real individuals from within the social sphere. Instead of focusing so heavily on Fukuyama's End of History and Daniel Bell, how about some anecdotal evidence to coincide with the argument?

As an aside, the Thor myth that he uses to tie the book together was useful for keeping my attention through the entire book. Also, I found the myth sections of the book much easier to read that the final analysis of the socio-political events that contradict the cyberspace myths. Perhaps that is one of the main lessons I learned from the book. Myths are more alluring because they are easier to remember, more predictable, and more fun.