Summary

Although technological wonders are impressive in their own right, they are important not only because of the engineering achievements they represent but because they have changed how people interact with each other every day. Email is a quick and affordable way to communicate with friends and family and allows us to forge friendships with strangers halfway across the globe. Social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook enable instantaneous and effortless communication among large groups of people without requiring the time or effort needed to compose and read email messages. Increasingly powerful mobile handheld devices, such as the BlackBerry and iPhone, make it possible for people to communicate with each other at any time and in any place, thereby eliminating the need for a desktop computer with a hardwired Internet connection. 

Such improvements in technology have led to changes in society, often in complex and unexpected ways. Understanding the full impact that computers have on society requires an appreciation of not only what computers can do but also how computer technology is used in practice and its effects on human behavior and attitudes. The brand-new, full-color Computers, Internet, and Society set seeks to provide students with an understanding of these fascinating and timely topics.

Highlights include:

• The history of the relevant computer technology, what such technology can do today, and how it works
• How computers interact with human behavior in a particular social context
• How readers can develop socially responsible attitudes and behaviors in their roles as computer users and future developers of computer technology.

Specifications

For each title: Full-color photographs and line illustrations. Index. Glossary. Chronology. Further resources.

About the Author(s)

Robert Plotkin is a patent attorney specializing in patent protection for computer technology. His firm, Robert Plotkin, P.C., has been named a "Go-To Law Firm for Leading Technology Companies" by American Lawyer Media. He is the author of The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing Is Revolutionizing Law and Business, which explores the impact of invention automation technology on high-tech companies and patent law. Plotkin received his undergraduate degree in computer science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his law degree from the Boston University School of Law and currently teaches a course entitled Software and the Law.