Very good book, but perhaps I'm too close to the subject. I found it a little bit of a thin broth.

This is some deep thinking introspection right here. Recommend.

This book leans a bit toward the techno-utopian side of things, but is easy and entertaining to read. Rheingold focuses on specific ways technology is drastically changing (for the better) the ways in which we communicate, but glosses over the possible negatives.

This is the one that got me into Moblogs - mobile blogs - and I landed on Textamerica. It's now defunct, although I was able to find a lot of my friends from there and reconnect on Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - all of these are connected to the ideas that Rheingold writes about in this book.

Smart mobs. Flash Mobs. Social networking. All of it is so fascinatingly covered - and pretty accurately - 10 years after he wrote this.

Read this book to get a great feel for where things were headed when not to many people were even that sure about what could be headed there. Read it to see where theing may yet go, too. Rheingold is brilliant and accessible at the same time.

Personal note: one time I read a tweet from the author that he was going to be at the Philadelphia airport for a long layover, and was inviting anyone that wanted to come and hang out with him for a while to do just that. Man, if I could have shifted the appointment that I had that day!

prescient in many places.
rambles at times.
worth a read

An important book in understanding the origins of participatory culture.

Made me realise the potential of the mobile revolution.

Howard Rheingoldin Mobiilijoukot olikin mielenkiintoista luettavaa. Vuonna 2003 kirjoitettu mobiilikulttuurin mullistusta ja muutosta sen seurannaisvaikutuksia käsittelevä kirja osuu monissa kohdin oikeaan, mutta monta muuta tulevaisuuden skenaariota jäikin toteutumatta.

Kahdeksaan lukuun jaoteltu kirja johdattelee lukijansa kännyköiden maailmaan ja langattomien verkostojen myötä uudenlaisiin yhteistyömahdollisuuksiin ja sosiaaliseen kanssakäymiseen. Jo kirjan nimi tarkoittaa sitä, että ei enää tarvita niinkään kasvokkaista kohtaamista, sillä samat yhteistoiminnalliset tehtävät, joita varten piti ennen kokoontua fyysisesti yhteen, hoidetaan nyt etätyöskennellen ja ongelmitta. Sen sijaan ongelmia muodostuu helposti, kun reaaliaikainen tiedonvälitys ja propaganda voi valjastaa helposti samaiset joukot lynkkausporukoiksi.

Marko Ahtisaaren esipuheen jälkeen lähdetään yhteistyön teknologioihin. Sitä seuraavat esineiden ja asusteiden internet, yksityisyyden menettäminen maineen menettäminen ja lopulta takertuminen mobiiliverkkoihin: se on monelle vankila, josta ei voikaan paeta.

Kirjassa Suomi on vahvasti edustettuna, ja kirjailija kävi täällä ihmettelemässä mobiilikulttuuria ja haastattelemassa Risto Linturia ja muutamia start up -yrittäjiä. IRC ja Linus Torvalds myös mainitaan. Lukemista haittasi melkoisesti melko jäsentymätön esitystapa, johon kuului omat konkreettiset havainnot mobiilikulttuurin kehittymisestä ja sen abstrahoiminen käyttämällä paikoin aika hajanaisia haastatteluja ja niiden kommentteja omien päätelmien tukemisessa.

Monissa kohdin kirjoittaja on osunut oikeaan, jos ajatellaan tätä päivää ja kirjoittamisajankohtaa, varsinkin sosiaalisten verkostojen voiman erittelyssä ja mahdollisuuksissa. Vertaisverkot ovatkin monille suvereenisti mobiilijoukkoihin asemoituneiden ihmisten kesken sitä mobiilia yhteistyön alkemiaa.

This book examines the ways in which mobile technologies are drastically changing the ways that people interact with each other and as a result new forms of communication are possible that have never been imagined. Rheingold looks at both the positive and negative effects of this but overall feels sees that people are ultimately creating communities with mobile technologies. In this book he is speaking about more than just cell phones, but also mobile internet through cell phones. Rheingold writes of this this instant and portable access to information networks created by people as being very democratic. He provides examples of political events/protests where people are able to send critical information to each other about obstacles, police action, etc through the use of text messages. More than a tool for political use, he looks at the changing practices of culture. For example the ways that talking on the a phone for a kid used to be something that was moderated by parents. But now kids have their phones with them at all times and parents may not even be aware of who their kids are talking to. Also Rheigold acknowledges that it is not truly independence as mobile technologies are owned by major corporations and allow for easy surveillance which potentially encroaches on civil liberties. One of the most interesting portions was where Rheingold looks at psychological studies of cooperation among productive societies. He speaks with someone (I'm forgetting their name) about the theory of common goods, being things that all benefit from, regardless of whether they contribute to it. These can be tangible items like public television or irrigation systems, or intangible such as judicial systems or peer-to-peer networks. His point is that when people are given creative tools to communicate and cooperate with each other, that they will naturally find ways to form positive empowering relationships.

There is also a website/blog based on the book at www.smartmobs.com

How does it relate to my CTEP experience?
I find our work to be very interesting in the sense that we are performing a very important role community, but the effects of it we don't always directly see. Technology can be such an illusive thing, and sometimes after only coordinating with people via email I wonder if I am actually communicating with them. Exchanging information in the form of text has a completely different feeling than physically interacting with someone. This book helped me realize that, yes although communication through technology is different, it is in no way better or worse, but if anything, allows new opportunities. Technology's role in society is really in its infancy and I am excited to be on the forefront of something that is really changing the way our world functions. Most importantly, making it so these changes are seen and understood by all, and not just a select few with enough money or education.

Would I recommend this book to other CTEP members?
Most definitely. Although at certain points I think this book writes in a style that feels inaccessible. However it is interdisciplinary enough to cover a lot of different perspectives, so you are likely to find something that you find really interesting. Also, this book was written in 2002, and was way ahead of its time. Everything Rheingold writes still feels relevant today.

Reading this book (published in 2003!) now was pretty cool because it casts some perspective/context on nascent mobile tech and just how rapidly phones have developed in the past few years. An interesting read if you're interested in how these technologies could be leveraged for social change (both good and bad), especially when the mobile phone becomes the preferred or sole internet access/communication tool of choice. *Also, I want to be Howard Rheingold when I grow up. His research seems infinitely cool.

This is a great way to introduce people to the programs and ideas possible with today's technology. Even though Rheingold wrote this foray into the world of Scandinavian and Japanese text messaging back in 2002, it appears the US still hasn't entirely caught up with them and a lot of the points he makes are as prevalent today as they were more than half a decade ago (a feat, considering the rapid progression of today's technology by old-timey standards).

Ultimately, I walked away from this book with a lot of new, creative ideas that were kicked into gear by a few things the author mentioned. I enjoy reading about some of the clever adaptations utilized by phone companies in other countries to make users more likely to utilize their cell phones for practically every aspect of their lives. And reading of other people's cleverness made me try to think more cleverly too.

Again, there's really not much to this book, as it's non-fiction and it's basically an in-depth search into the history of phones and their usage to spread messages quickly and efficiently. All the same, I'd rather read this over Pinker's "Stuff of Thought" any day.

Just reread this... Still amazing to me how Rheingold predicted and identified the extent to which social media exactly like Twitter, facebook, etc would change our world. This was written in 2002! I don't think half the stuff really sank in when I read it in 2003... Would like to read what he is writing about now!