Communication

“The immaterial global village”: debunking myths of the internet

April 11, 2011 1950

In “The Place of the Internet in Anthropology” (in the March 2011 issue of Anthropology News), UCLA PhD student Adam Fish addresses the popular myth of the internet as both intangible and globally unifying.

Fish states that while “internet hardware, software and protocols simulate a global village’s structure,” most people fail to take advantage of the possibilities it presents. Citing Ethan Zuckerman’s 2010 TEDGlobal talk, he presents the disappointing data which reveals that internet users pay closer attention to national rather than global news.

Check out more feature articles online at Anthropology News, a publication of the American Anthropological Association.

The American Anthropological Association is the world’s largest association for professional anthropologists, with more than 10,000 members. Based in Washington, D.C., the association was founded in 1902, and covers all four main fields of anthropology (cultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology).

View all posts by American Anthropological Association (AAA)

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