digital information technology IT - ITC - in retelling as myth

its experienced reality and in scientific analysis

or

the IT-hype in the years prior to and at the turn of millennium

waiting for the next hype

and the next and "next"...

by Johan Cronehed - johancr@algonet.se

Publisher

P.O. Box 1210

SE22105 Lund

Sweden

A Monograph

at the Institution of Social Anthropology

Department of Sociology

Lund University

P.O. Box 114

SE-221 00 Lund

Sweden

The Grammar of the Hype (Hypens Grammatik)... - a Monograph in

Social Anthropology - at Lund University 2004.

The book focuses rather on a particular “hype” than deals with the so-called information society as such. What is implied here is a new type of technology  - digital information technology - that was generally introduced in the years before and at the turn of the millennium. My thesis could also be applied to other situations of a  similar kind that might  be characterised as hypes or as “periods of irrational exuberance” - with those terms, “the hype” can both consist of a specific  ideological “-ism” and harbour others. What is usually referred to as “IT within the society” I would consider an excellent illustration of such phenomena for contemporary times.

Chapter 2 - The Myth - deals with IT and technology, and how it  was manifested  in our society at fairs, exhibitions, lectures and conferences1999 and 2000.

Chapter 3 - The Users - deals with seven  so-called “IT-users” in various context, in working life.

Chapter 4 - The Theorists - penetrates the wiews of nine scientist  - Nicholas Negroponte, Michael Dertouzos, Seymor Papret, Sherry Turkle, William J. Mitchell, Manuel Castells, Paul Virilio, Richard Sennet, Zygmunt Bauman - and their different analysis focusing on “technology and IT” in the society.

Chapter 5 - The grammar of the Hype ...  - The conclusions of the above analysis are put in relation to the “IT-users” counterpart. In this chapter I also present theoretical thoughts  in order to illustrate the main characteristics and functions of a “hype” in the society.

The summary in English of the book is based on chapter 5. It shows how a combination of both social anthropological and socio-psychological perspectives can be used to penetrate the phenomena “technology an IT” as a influential force in the society. Chapter 5 is intended to act as a “highlight” of the main points - 40 pages.