Publisher's Synopsis
This book offers a multi-disciplinary examination of many of the implications of computer based networks for organizations, and for the people who work in and manage them. It addresses the technical challenges involved - and the new approaches and concepts needed to tackle them - as well as the consequences for work, organization and social practices. This publication emphasizes the implications for workers, rather than management; critical rather than celebratory studies; and a reflection of a broad range of disciplines.;In addition to providing, a theoretical overview of the field, the publication specifically explores the themes of: participation and power; reading over distances; privacy versus transparency; information policy and the changes that networking can bring to organizations and how to manage them.;It also aims to shed new light on fundamental questions about how we understand our social / technical worlds.;Academic and industrial researchers concerned with workplace- implications of computer networking should find the book of particular interest. However, it should also provide stimulating reading for a variety of social scientists, especially sociologists and political scientists.
