No Sense of Place: The Electronic Media on Social Behavior

This is a book that will make you say, "That's why that is," over and over. It takes many of the rapid changes and social movements of the last half century and shows how they are all in fact related to the development of tv and other media. It reads like a novel, too.

Revisiting and moving beyond his predecessors, Meyrowitz's book provides a wonderful framework that allows the reader of any level to appreciate the role of mediated communication in shaping social spheres and orders...both historically and today. Written in a style that avoids the high-semantics of academia and avoids the vague poetics of McLuhan, Meyrowitz's book is perhaps most fascinating because of the fact that it was written fifteen years ago: before the internet boom, before the merger-mania of media conglomeritization, etc. In my opinion, Meyrowitz's ideas are still very relevant and are a true signifier of the brilliance of this text.

To understand the impact of media, you have two choiches: you decode McLuhan and DeKerkhove (at least try), or you read this book. Meyrowitz writes from the perspective of a child and of a socioligist of media, describing how television has changed forever the way we relate to space, both public and private. With theatrical recollections of family scenes from the 60's and cultured references to other studies Meyrowitz manages to make us look at TV and media in general as we never did before.

Joshua Meyrowitz takes the reader through a fantastic and comprehensive perspective on the impact of electronic media. Beyond McLuhan, Meyrowitz challenges the reader to consider the formulative role of media, irrespective of it's content. Meyrowitz clearly details the impact of electronic media on one's perception of place, and the unrecognized rearrangement of social forums. This book is a MUST READ for those interested in the impact of television and computer networking technologies on contemporary social life--if understood, it will forever change your perceptions of media