Net Smart

Prominent technology writer and critic Rheingold (Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution), who in 1993 coined the term "virtual community," here examines the impact of our increasingly Internet-centric society on the individual. While books like Nicholas Carr's The Shallows and Jaron Lanier's You Are Not a Gadget warn of the Internet's negative long-term effects, Rheingold (though he agrees there are potential problems) argues that mindfulness—or users taking control over and applying critical thinking to how technology is used—can make our increasing use of digital media a positive change. The text can be dense with description of the cultural history of the web and analysis of research studies on the Internet, computers, and cognitive and social functioning; it is not a quick read. Still, Rheingold has good advice to share, which he summarizes at the book's end, where he also points out interesting ways that people are using the web to make life better.