Postmodernist study of the internet

Michael S.H. Heng

Research output: Working paper / PreprintWorking paperProfessional

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Abstract

The point of departure is that the activities associated with the Internet are organizationaland societal activities taking place within a given historical context. As such they canprofit from sociological theories such as postmodernism. Postmodernism can be seen as areaction to some signal failures of modernism and the modernity project. It is very mucha socio-cultural and philosophical system of thoughts which sprouts in a post-industrialsociety. The relevant elements of postmodernism used here are: (a)power is diffuse, (b)there is no grand theory to make sense of reality, c) the world is fragmented and chaotic,(d) information technology has an ambivalent character. It is argued that postmodernismoffers a fruitful way of understanding and explaining the range of possibilities andchallenges that accompany the advent of the Internet.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
PublisherFaculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Publication statusPublished - 1998

Publication series

NameResearch Memorandum
No.1998-4

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