three reviews of critical cyberculture studies

academic reviews of critical cyberculture studies, a book i co-edited with adrienne massanari, are beginning to appear. and so far they are positive!

in new media & society, the leading academic journal for new media/internet studies, stephanie boluk writes, "Whether one uses the term cyberculture, internet, digital or new media studies, David Silver and Adrienne Massanari's anthology Critical Cyberculture Studies provides a framework for discussion of these fields and an eclectic series of exemplars showing what sort of work is being done in this nebulously classified territory of research." (New Media & Society, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1037-1039; whole review here.)

in journal of communication, a leading academic journals for communication and media studies, laura robinson notes, "This collection's wide-ranging contributions valorize critical cyberculture studies' openness and flexibility, whether construed as field, discipline, or interdiscipline. It welcomes into its fold an unusually broad and heterogeneous array of empirical objects, theoretical orientations, and analytical strategies. In its sheer scope, this 25-chapter compilation is unparalleled. Chapters range from institutional analysis of Internet architecture to feminist analysis of emergent transhumanist narratives, to sociological analysis of the role of the culture of independence in the dot-com era. It also addresses badly needed global studies of cyberculture in diverse regions of Asia, as well as Scandinavia. In sum, the volume tackles its themes from numerous angles." (Journal of Communication, Vol. 57, Issue 4, pp. 808-810; whole review here.)

and in the international journal of baudrillard studies, a "transdisciplinary publication dedicated to engaging the thought and writing of jean baudrillard," pramod k. nayar writes "Critical Cyberculture Studies opens up the field (despite Silver's cautionary note that it is only an "invitation to consider a few new directions"). Ranging across race theory to political economy, rhetorical and discourse analysis to cultural policy studies, the volume embodies a range of topics, approaches and agendas. We thus have an exploration of a commercial company (amazon.com) and state-run internet services (e-governance), the popular internet and militarization - all contributing to a comprehensive introduction to the new media. Where works like David Marshall's (New Media Studies), focused on one approach (cultural studies), the Silver-Massanari volume takes care to see that no one approach is valorized. In fact, one of the nice things about this volume is that it showcases many approaches (especially in section II) ... Critical Cyberculture Studies expands this work, moving from communication to community, postcolonial subjectivity, racial identities and technology to political economy and the nation-state. The volume is an extremely useful critical guide to future researchers in cyberculture and new media studies." (International Journal of Baudrillard Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2; whole review here.)

thank you reviewers for considering and wrestling with the ideas and perspectives found within critical cyberculture studies.