Few doubt that a revolution in communications is under way.
Your authors notice it because the changes that occur between the two-year revisions of this
textbook are the greatest when it comes to media.
Yes, political events and natural disasters
can dramatically impact many millions of people overnight, but the network effects of the
burgeoning electronic communication media—in the form of PCs, the Internet, and mobile
phones—infl uence not only political events and responses to national disasters but also
everyday life for everyone on the planet, from camel markets in Egypt to the international
space stations where humans are living off the planet! Perhaps the most eloquent description
of the communications revolution comes from Bob Garfi eld’s new book, The Chaos
Scenario