Beyond the Horizon

This book contributes to an understanding of electronic communications technologies by explaining the technical ideas which underlie them. The technologies, from the telephone to the internet, are described in their social and historical context, which indicates the multiplicity of factors, political, social as well as technological which affect the development of these systems.The explanation is thorough yet clear and easily understood, and assumes no technical knowledge on the part of the reader. The principles of communications technologies are described in a social context and are fully illustrated with explanatory diagramsAlso included in this book is a discussion of likely implications of the Internet and its related technologies, offering a critique of technological determinism.