Smart Mobs The Next Social Revolution

In Smart Mobs, veteran technology writer Howard Rheingold takes us on a journey around the world for a preview of the next major technological and cultural shift. The coming wave is the result of super-efficient mobile communications: cellular phones, PDAs, and hand-held computers, devices that put the power of instant and ubiquitous communication-literally-within everyone's grasp. From "Lovegeties" in Japan that light up when a potential mate appears in the vicinity, to the overthrow of repressive regimes in the Philippines and Senegal by cell-phone wielding activists, to terrorists coordinating via encoded text messages, these "smart mobs" represent a fundamentally new form of connectivity. Applying insights from sociology, artificial intelligence, economics, and anthropology, Rheingold offers a penetrating perspective on the unprecedented convergence of pop culture, cutting-edge technology, and social activism, reminding us that the real impact of mobile communications will come not from the technology itself but from how people use it.Rheingold, Howard is the author of 'Smart Mobs The Next Social Revolution', published 2003 under ISBN 9780738208619 and ISBN 0738208612.