Anyone who claims that the Internet has not impacted our lives, or that it is only a fad, must read 24 Hours in Cyberspace. Subtitled Painting on the Walls of the Digital Cave, this powerful, passionate book guides us on a visual voyage of one day in the lives of those who use the Internet. It will enchant you with its masterful photographs, awe you in what it implies about the Web's potential, and cause every emotion from laughter to tears.
This "digital time capsule" was created by 150 photojournalists who caught life in Cyberspace on every continent. The day: February 8, 1996. The places: Bosnia; Hollywood, Calif.; Egypt; Jeffersontown, Ky.; Mafinga, Tanzania; and beyond. The people: comedian Robin Williams; a 16-year-old liver transplant patient; a man seeking information on how to take his own life; a Russian astronomer; a South African in an impoverished town who wants to pass Adult Basic Education; and many others.
The difficulty in writing a review of this book is choosing which of the hundreds of exquisite photographs to describe, which of the intriguing and inspiring stories to relate. Take the tale of Robin Williams in virtual reality. Through Stephen Spielberg's Starbright Foundation, which uses high technology and a network of computers around the country to entertain and help seriously ill children, Williams played computer games with pediatric patients at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. One patient met another child online who had undergone an operation similar to hers, and both children enjoyed interacting with the famous comedian.
There are stories and photos of Cyberspace's impact on politics. The prime minister of Malaysia, for example, has his own Web page and replies to questions from constituents live on the Internet. Numerous photos show how our society has changed in the post-Internet period. From coffeehouses that offer online time with your cappuccino (available in Thailand, Egypt, the Netherlands, and the USA) to families who create Web sites devoted to their children's diseases which offer support, the global village has become a virtual village. We no longer limit our support network, our friends, our acquaintances, our teachers, and even our colleagues and managers to those we meet in person. We can now live life - albeit virtually - from within the walls of a room, interfacing only with a mechanical object in terms of touch and feel.
You'll view visuals of and read tales about the many benefits provided by the Internet. In the areas of education, medicine, science, psychology, journalism, information services, marketing, business, and much more, the impact of the Internet cannot be denied. The book demonstrates this brilliantly. What is not asked, however, is what do we lose if we become a world communicating only by modem?