Spirit of the Web: The Age of Information from Telegraph to Internet

Rowland begins his analyses in earnest with Michael Faraday's discovery of the electron. This discovery made the telegraph possible and formed the basis for all real-time communication up through today's worldwide telecommunications systems. Rowland then examines the telegraph in depth, along with the electronic communications systems that followed--telephone, radio, television, and computer networks.

Rowland probes deep beneath the surface stories of inventions and their creators to demonstrate the social forces at work as each new technology became a powerful force. A recurring theme is how new technology appears to be of limited interest to the governments and corporations that lay the groundwork. Yet repeatedly these new technologies explode in the hands of the general population--which the government assumed was not interested--as they discover new ways to exchange information with those who are farther away.

For example, Rowland's stories tell how the telegraph made trivial incidents newsworthy, such as the rapid updates about the state of some princess's health. Compare that to the fascination on the Web with looking at remote cameras that are pointed to something as mundane as fish in an aquarium. Rowland views the growth of communications technology optimistically and regards the Internet--particularly the Web--as a major development in democratizing communication. --Elizabeth Lewis