Cultural Production in a Digital Age

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 597, S. 6-18

Abstract

An introduction to a special issue on, "Cultural Production in a Digital Age," points out how digital libraries & electronic communication networks have facilitated scholarly production & changed the way scholars & academic institutions operate. The articles in this volume explore how new technologies have altered cultural production in a wide range of fields, from journalism to gambling, social movements to marketing. Some specific topics discussed by the multi-disciplinary contributors include the fate of cultural products distributed through digital channels; relationships between technological development & the political economy of media, marketing, & entertainment fields; the nature of cultural politics online; & the existence of digital clusters. The three organizing schools of thought that address, & often disagree, about the extent, pace, & character of cultural changes generated by digital technologies are identified as digital revolutionaries; cyber-skeptics; & cultural evolutionists. Key arguments of each school are explored, along with the advantages/disadvantages of the sociology of culture approach for analyzes of the role of new technologies. 61 References. J. Lindroth