Books about Media Past, Present, and Future

about New New Media ...

Joan Walsh, Salon.com, about 1st edition (2009):

"Paul Levinson takes you on a walking tour - actually, it's more like a running tour - of the media innovations that are transforming our world. He's not just a scholar, he's an explorer, immersing himself in MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and multiple blogging platforms to help us make sense of the galloping changes in media. Have we entered a glorious new era of media democracy, or are these innovations leveling standards of fairness and authority? Levinson remains an optimist without being blind to the dark side of change. Whether you want to learn to blog, podcast or Twitter yourself, or just keep track of the way such tools are remaking the world around you, New New Media is an indispensable guide."

Other reviews of 1st edition:

Jeff Jarvis, Director of New Media Program, CUNY Grad School of Journalism; Creator, BuzzMachine blog:

"Paul Levinson provides an invaluable and encyclopaedic guide to the newest of new media invented so far."

Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl podcast, author of the New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing:

"Insightful and comprehensive. The overviews are great for people who want to quickly get up-to-speed on the entire landscape or more experienced Web addicts who want to branch out, and the anecdotes and history will delight people who consider themselves old-timers."

Robert K. Blechman, in Blogcritics:

"Levinson's down-to-earth discussion of the "new new" media is an effective introduction to the impact of cyberspace structures and institutions on our current media environment."

Nick Leshi, in Blogcritics:

"Levinson writes from his own experience, shares his own anecdotes, and delivers his theories based on his own first-hand evidence in a voice that is equal parts scholarly and conversational.... New New Media is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn about the current configuration of multimedia options."

Ken Hudson, in Resonant Interval:

"This is the missing textbook to the course that everyone is taking .... an excellent primer for thoughtful engagement with the unfolding culture .... If there is a Luddite on your gift-giving list, New New Media would be an excellent choice."

Anthony Sovak, in Build Soil

"New New Media fills a significant void in the discussion of Mass Media .... other books gesture at the origins and importance of the newest forms of media but simply fail to engage new social media as meaningfully or provocatively as Levinson's book does .... More than any other examination of the subject I have seen, Levinson's New New Media was written to help foster the imaginings of the possibilities of those new media in the widest audience. Those familiar with the new social media will have their assumptions challenged. Those unfamiliar with them will find the book to be a provocative introduction to the ways the newest forms of social media have been and could be used .... Levinson's book was provocative for myself and my students and served as an excellent starting point for many class discussions .... If Levinson sees the ultimate goal of theorizing about these new social media as securing a new social imaginary where each individual has not just the right to free speech but also the opportunity and capability to exercise his or her individual voice in a medium accessible to the entire world then New New Media could be considered the cornerstone."

Jim Willis, in A Virtual Unknown:

"But does doubling the adjective of new media mean we're just dealing in doubletalk? My friend Chuck who teaches at Boston's Northeastern University, would say no. Last August, he expressed a frustration to me when he asked, "Why do people insist on calling computers and the Net 'new' media? I mean, they've been around for a couple decades now." Chuck isn't alone in his thinking. A Fordham professor and author, Paul Levinson, has just written a new book called, New New Media... "

John Pantalone, in Newport Now:

"... if you want to understand the Brave New World, Levinson's book wouldn't be a bad place to start. "

Bradley E. Wiggins, in Journal of Communications Media Studies, Fall 2010

"New New Media is definitely a fine choice for media enthusiasts, students, professionals, or basically for anyone who would like to have a physical reference or starting point for the ever-expanding and regenerative field of media and communications."

Paul Soukup, in Communication Research Trends, 2011, vol 30 no 1:

"... a good place to start on new media, with an experienced guide. "

Sue Burzynski Bullard, in AEJMC (Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication) quarterly, October 24, 2011

"The book is a great introduction to rapid changes in technology and communication, particularly for technophobes."

about The Soft Edge ...

Wired:

"Remarkable in both scholarly sweep and rhetorical lyricism..."

The Financial Times of London:

"a book that is both full of insights and provocative"

Amazon.com's Cyberculture editor:

"Levinson has a knack for making his reader feel intelligent and respected"

Analog:

"...defies the critics of technology"

about Digital McLuhan:

Kevin Kelly, Wired:

"Paul Levinson completes McLuhan's pioneering work. Read this book if you want to decipher life on the screen."

The New York Times:

"Levinson performs a useful service ... [he] applies McLuhan's work to almost every facet of modern communications" and in another article "Digital McLuhan presents McLuhan in a new light, [for] a generation grappling with the transforming effects of cyberspace, cell phones and virtual reality."

about Realspace:

Publisher's Weekly: "Fans of Levinson's previous works, as well as those interested in the relations between cyberspace, 'real space' and outer space, should relish this challenging and mind-opening read."

The Midwest Book Review: "RealSpace is an essential, thought-provoking purchase."

Public Intelligence Blog: "a gem of reflection."

Edward Tenner, author of Why Things Bite Back: "a rich, original, and sophisticated work that will be rewarding reading both for science fiction enthusiasts and for professionals in the history and sociology of science and technology."

about Cellphone:

Sir Arthur C. Clarke: "A superb and often amusing account of one of the greatest revolutions in human history, in which we are now living. The wristwatch phone of the old science fiction stories is now a reality! What more can we expect? Direct brain to brain communication? Stay tuned...."

Douglas Rushkoff, TheFeature.com: Cellphone makes "an excellent case."

Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer: "Levinson maintains a sense of humor about the rush to pack every imaginable function into cells."

British MediaWeek: "a thought-provoking analysis".