The Hyperlinked Society: Questioning Connections in the Digital Age

This book investigates the multi-faceted nature of hyperlinks and their consequences for commerce, communication, and civic discourse in the world of digital media. The Hyperlinked Society
focuses on
links
as one of the most basic - and unexamined - features of online life. Bringing together a prominent array of thinkers from industry and academe, this collection addresses a provocative series of questions about the ways in which hyperlinks organize behavior online. How do media producers’ considerations of links change the way they approach their work, and how do these considerations in turn affect the ways that audiences receive news and entertainment? What role do economic and political considerations play in information producers’ creation of links? How do links shape the size and scope of the public sphere in the digital age? Do hyperlinks function as
bridging
mechanisms that encourage people to see beyond their personal beliefs to a broader and more diverse world? Or do they simply reinforce existing bonds, encouraging people to ignore social and political concerns that seem irrelevant to their personal interests?This path-breaking collection of essays will be valuable to anyone interested in the now taken-for-granted - connections that structure communication, commerce, and civic discourse in the world of digital media.