Soft Edge: Nat Hist&Future Info

by Paul Levinson

Book Overview

The Soft Edge is a one-of-a-kind history of the information revolution. In his lucid and direct style, Paul Levinson, historian and philosopher of media and communications, gives us more than just a history of information technologies. The Soft Edge is a book about theories on the evolution of technology, the effects that human choice has on this (r)evolution, and what's in store for us in the future.
Boldly extending and deepening the pathways...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415197724
• ISBN13: 9780415197724
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Good read but short on future trends for such a long build u

I enjoyed reading The Soft Edge. I found Levinson to be a little long in his summations. I also found that his first two chapters were confusing. I was not sure of his direction or the purpose of his book. His use of mini-headings in each chapter did make each subject easier to understand. I would highly recommend this book for research in other classes. I have already used it. I did find his use of quotes from other authors leaving me wanting more. He used them to prove his arguments. Without more from that author, I was not able to accept or decline his argument. I believe his weakest part was on the future of technology. Levinson gives a great history and analysis on the impact. I found his analysis on the future small and quite unassuming.

Great questions, uneven answers

This book asks many interesting questions about the history and future of media. Examples include:1. Why did the sight-only medium of silent movies get wiped out completely by "talkies" while the sound-only medium of radio survived television?2. The most powerful leaders of the past 150 years were Churchill, Roosevelt, Hitler, and Stalin. Was this power due to the nature of radio as a medium, and the fact that radio flowered when they were prominent?3. Is centralized authority in media necessary (because people need "gatekeepers" to filter information for them) or a result of the economics of mass media (the high cost of sending radio signals compared to the low cost of receiving them)?4. Does information want to be free?Levinson's answers are not always as good as his questions. His explanation for the survival of radio (as a medium you can use while doing something else) was persuasive. His view that the leaders of WWII drew their power from radio was less compelling.Levinson's view of the decentralization effects of computers is valid. The opposite view, which is widely held, is a serious misconception.Otherwise, when discussing the future, Levinson is disappointing. He says less than what can be found in other work that predates his book. The issue of the future of paper is discussed better in some of George Gilder's articles in Forbes ASAP, going back to 1994. The issue of how to pay for information is discussed better in Brad Cox's work on what he calls "superdistribution." The issue of the status of artificial life is discussed better in Steven Levy's book on that subject.If I were teaching a course on the Internet, I would include "The Soft Edge" as background reading early in the course. It would help students start to think about the evolution of media.

For those craving a MACRO/GLOBAL VIEW of today & Tomorrow.

An enormously insightful panorama and investigation into the past, present and future evolution of information technology. The author looks at the impact of IT on society and the history of media of all types, from the introduction of the alphabet over hieroglyphics, to the photo-electronic revolution, to the age of computers and creation of the Web. The book concludes with ideas for the future, including ways to protect intellectual property, ethics, and ultimate possibilities for artificial intelligence. This is a work of both depth and breadth. For those who crave the macro/global perspective of the world, this book will be a fascinating find. Bibliography. HIGHLY recommended. Reviewed with great interest by Gerry Stern, founding partner, Stern & Associates and HRconsultant.com.

Excellent overview, somewhat confusing

After a long search, I selected this as the best book available for providing a historical overview of the social effects of electronic communication media for my college course, "The Information Age." The author clearly identifies the various types of technology: audio, visual, multimedia, and he does a nice job of assessing the impact of these individually and in combination. The latter third of the book becomes increasingly confusing, however, as he attempts to extend today's technologies into the future and predict their effects. My students found the book very interesting, and the author's ideas generated quite a bit of discussion.

Incredible range of knowledge; delightfully written

THE SOFT EDGE by Paul Levinson is an amazing look at communications technology throughout time, and how they have had surprising and unexpected consequences -- for example how the invention of the printing press was responsible for the discovery of America (or at least for people in Europe to find out about Columbus's voyages) and the Age of Exploration and why the idea of one God didn't take hold until the Hebrews with their alphabet, and many other such fascinating examples. Then the author shows us why silent movies disappeared when talking pictures arrived but radio is still doing well even though we have television. And lots of other insights and observations about things we use every day and rarely think about. This book should be required reading for all people who want to understand the Internet -- especially parents and teachers -- and why we shouldn't be so afraid of what's out there. Professor Levinson is a great writer, and this is a terrific book.