The “information society” is a concept that has been discussed with increasing prevalence in the last ten years, in social, political and economic terms. As a concept it has many interpretations and meanings; indeed many commentators and academics argue that the “information society” does not exist. Information professionals need to understand the theories and ideas that lie behind the concepts and the practical manifestations; this book aims to introduce the subject, trace developments of technologies and policies, including a focus on future developments. The book can be seen as a companion to or building on the text, The Information Society written by John Feather (1998). The attended audience is undergraduate students on information‐related programmes, also providing a valuable insight into the subject for information practitoners.
Dearnley and Feather summarise and discuss the key theories of the information society, pulling together themes from economics and sociology with clarity and an engaging style. Focus is placed around how an “information society” can be defined and whether or not it can be regarded as a new departure or part of a long process of continued change. Further reading is clearly alluded to and the limitations of theories are discussed. They develop the interesting point that information scientists have had little impact on mainstream thinking about the “information society”, a valuable issue for discussion for the information professional in terms of influencing the information policy agenda, nationally and globally.
The context of how information flows, how it is processed and the role of technology is succinctly developed, drawing in and discussing many of the issues relating to the theory introduced in the preceding chapters. Future developments such as the role of the mobile technologies and convergence are discussed, illustrating the theme of constant change and development and emphasizing the issues for government control.
The focus of the rest of the book is upon the “information policies” that are shaping or trying to stimulate the development of an “information society”. One chapter breaks down under headings such as “Data protection”, “Freedom of information” and “Regulation of telecommunications and broadcasting”. The issues of information policy are discussed globally and in terms of the UK, drawing in key themes of information rights and market regulation. Some issues require further explanation; the UK Freedom of Information Act is quoted as “inadequate”, but evidence for this is not put forward. On the subject of regulation, the setting‐up of the new UK Government regulator, OFCOM, converging regulation of media and telecoms, is not covered (perhaps announced after this section of the book was written), an important example of convergence of markets in the UK.
A case study using the European Union (EU) as an example of information policy driving information society developments is used in the penultimate chapter. The chapter offers an excellent overview of the complex, interwoven EU approach to this area and also offers a view of information policy becoming increasingly global. This chapter will be of particular interest to any information practitioner trying to assess the impact of the EU on information services and may stimulate thoughts about how information services can respond to this agenda through project bids. If space had permitted, it would have also been useful to outline the information policies of the global organisations such as the WTO, G8, OECD, Unesco in a separate chapter.
The book is highly recommended as an introduction to the subject for undergraduate students; the balanced discussion of the writers and the clear explanation of key concepts, plus detailed pointers for further reading, make this a valuable addition to reading lists or as a key text. It also has a high value to information professionals wanting an insight into a highly important subject related to the future of the profession.
The limitations of the book are mainly in its length, that some concepts are mentioned fleetingly without detailed explanation; however, the clear, in‐depth referencing and high standard of research do not make this a major drawback.
As the book discusses many changing issues, such as ICT and government policy, there will be a definite need for regular updated editions to keep some of the areas covered relevant. As a large number of useful Web sites listed, it may be of value to make a companion Web site available with the book.
