This book investigates the complex, often contradictory societal and political consequences of the rapid expansion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) during the 1990s. Authors Robin Mansell and Roger Silverstone, both established scholars in media and communication studies, assemble an interdisciplinary framework to evaluate how these digital shifts alter the power dynamics between businesses, governments, and individual citizens. By synthesizing perspectives from economics, sociology, and political science, the authors argue that technological development is not a neutral process but one deeply embedded in political and institutional agendas.

Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of policy and digital infrastructure during the early internet era. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a rigorous resource for students and researchers in media studies and political economy.