Web.Studies

David Gauntlett believes - quite rightly - that the advent of the Internet presents new challenges for media studies. There is no longer any point in pontificating about theoretical notions of digital culture, when practical examples of it are being developed at an exponential rate all around us.

His collection of essays is designed to put emphasis on real-life examples - as an antidote to the over-theorised writing we would normally associate with media studies. And in this it succeeds admirably - as well as covering a wide range of topics. These include web studies, arts and culture, business on the Web, and Web communities and politics. This new edition combines updated material plus additional chapters on developments and controversies in cyberspace.


Of course, these are academic 'media studies' articles, so it is no surprise to find pieces offering po-faced encomiums to virtual strippers and Asian queer sites - on the grounds that they are exploring the boundaries of the medium - plus articles on 'Women breaking down the boundaries'.

However, for all their apparent hipness, non of these pundits actually tackle the sharp technological details of the subject they are considering. There's nothing here about JavaScripts, active server pages, or the ethics of cookies - though an essay by Nina Wakeford essay does address the issue of analysing server log files as a way of studying true Web activity.

Editor David Gauntlett raises some interesting points on film criticism on the Web which I wish he had developed further, and there's a short but fascinating account of a stand-off between students and tutors from teacherreviews.com at City College of San Francisco. This describes a Web site where students post frank opinions on their tutors and the courses they teach. This is a practice which, despite its potential dangers, it would be interesting to see tried out in the UK.

There's an amusing essay on web design cliches, and an interesting analysis of the BBC's web presence. This looks at the ambiguous-cum-dubious relationship of a publicly-funded institution which provides content at zero cost to a profit-making site like beeb.com.

The larger social issues of the Net and democracy are also covered - plus articles on the Asian-Indian diaspora in the USA, Kosovo war coverage, and the politics of hacking - so in a true sense there is something here for everybody.

Each chapter is followed by potted descriptions of relevant Websites - which are much more useful than a bare list of URLs. There are also a glossary of terms and a good bibliography. Of all the books on social aspects of Web life that I have seen recently, this is the most interesting - mainly because it is so varied and because it is rooted in the practice of what's actually happening out there.