Review of Net Smart

I recently browsed a book about the Internet. My review:

Net Smart is an interesting take on the potential of the Internet. It is optimistic in its outlook of what we as humans can do together through the web. But Rheingold also points out that each person has the responsibility to participate and contribute to the online communities, because what people do on the internet and what they use it for now will influence how the web develops. That is, we can directly contribute to what’s available on the web as well as direct how the web will work in years to come. His approach to pulling readers out of passivity and offering them the driver’s seat is to help them understand the controls in front of them and how they can be purposeful about what they give their attention and participation to.

Rheingold starts with explaining that attention is powerful. When people who go online direct their attention purposefully, they take control of their situation.

Then Rheingold talks about how to filter the content online, from detecting good sources of information to finding new sources.

The next section is about how participation works as a driving force to funding and companies on the Internet.

Then Rheingold goes into different platforms that encourage collaboration. He optimistically remarks on all that can be achieved when many people come together to work on projects for the common good.

The next area is related to collaboration: the social networking functions of the web. 

Rheingold closes the book with several issues raised by the ways people interact on the Internet, such as copyright with remix culture, and how to respond to how kids are using the internet.

An interesting aspect of this book is that it’s old media—a printed book—offered to help ease the reader’s mind about new media. 

I particularly like the urgency to Rheingold’s message. We can change how the Internet works if we understand how participation and mindfulness affect more than ourselves. And understanding how to use the Internet to gain and share knowledge and build communities will put the power in our hands instead of a digitally literate elite. 

Interesting read, helpful to get a new view of the Internet and how it can work for good.

See my book review on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/409015986