Warning: A technological revolution is unfolding that promises, in the words of its creators, to redefine what it means to be human. Face-to-face communication (“F2F” to those in the know) is quickly becoming obsolete; already we turn to computers for information, entertainment, companionship—even love. Science fiction? Hardly.
This is the brave new vision of the digital avant-garde, computer crusaders leading a high-tech assault on what was once known as reality. Sophisticated, well-funded, unabashedly messianic, they have the power, the technological know-how, and the marketplace savvy to make good on many of their wildest prophecies.
With War of the Worlds, Mark Slouka gives us a funny, but eerily disturbing, humanist's look at the culture of cyberspace.
Praise for
War of the Worlds: Cyberspace and the High-Tech Assault On Reality(1995)
"Among those who reject the principle of technology uber alles, Mark Slouka is now a clear leader. His War of the Worlds is among the most well-informed, well-written critiques of a culture hell-bent on locating its humanity in machines."
— Neil Postman, author of Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
"A shrewd, snazzy polemic that crackles with educated insights on every page."
— Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer
"[Slouka] writes about these matters with enormous energy and ardor... a timely and provacative book."
— Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
“Combining moral seriousness with a delightful sense of humor, Mark Slouka challenges the 'digerati' who would see cyberspace as a replacement for living human community. He is an intelligent and charming guide through the ethical mazes of the computer revolution.”
—Richard Madsen, coauthor of Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life
"[Slouka's] thoughtful, provocative critique deflates the giddy, messianic claims of digital-revolution proponents... Slouka deftly skewers the notion that universal access to an information superhighway will empower the weak and foster community.... His withering broadside makes a compelling case that the so-called digital revolution is distraction on a grand scale."
— Publisher's Weekly