When Technocultures Collide: Innovation from Below and the Struggle for Autonomy by Gary Genosko
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As an academic librarian with an interest in technology and the Internet I was very excited to begin reading this book. The "technoculture" referred to in the title refers to the intersection of technology and culture, and the way that these two intertwined areas influence society. Topics covered include the lives of hackers such as Canada's "Mafiaboy", urban exploration of abandoned buildings or restricted areas, wearable technology (though interestingly without referencing Google's Glass eye wear, early telephone Phreaking, and the impact of Wikileaks on privacy and governments allowing access to information.
Each chapter presents a look at a specific technology or idea and in many cases grounds it in a substantial amount of philosophical and cultural theory. The amount of theory varies widely and in some cases became a bit too scholarly and dense for someone like myself without a strong background in the specific literature. Nonetheless, there is much to recommend here for the general reader as well as the more specialized academic reader.
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