From Library Journal
In this interesting if narrow work, Levinson (The Soft Edge, LJ 2/1/98) explains why Marshall McLuhans theories about the media are more relevant in todays digital age than when they were first presented during the age of television. Levinson points out that the Internet will be the vehicle for a convergence of books, television, and other media such as the telephone, thus making it much more, much different from any prior media. He then applies McLuhans tetrad, the four laws of media, which shift from warning us to remove our past-tinted glasses when looking at the future to indicating what type of territory we might see when those glasses are removed. McLuhan led the way in understanding the relationship of humans to technology; as Levinson attempts to show, his principles have been validated by the Internetwhich to many readers may already be obvious. Recommended for specialized collections.Joe J. Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., ChicagoCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


New York Times
"Levinson performs a useful service . . . [he] applies McLuhanism to almost every facet of modern communications."


From Booklist
Levinson continues the illuminating investigation into the evolution of information technologies and their effects on society that he began in The Soft Edge (1997) by offering a clarifying interpretation of the works of the guru of media studies, Marshall McLuhan. Many of McLuhan's intriguing concepts were difficult to grasp due, in part, to his tangled prose style, but primarily because they were far ahead of their time. Now, nearly 20 years after his death, his ideas have come to vivid life in relationship to the computer revolution. Levinson neatly explicates and makes productive use of McLuhan's theories. He shows how McLuhan's concept of the global village is fully manifest in the Internet, as is his concept of the "discarnate man," the beautiful vision of "light-through" --the hypnotic effect of light passing through glass, whether in stained glass windows, television, or computer screens--and his prediction of an inclusive super media. Always lucid and provocative, Levinson explores the psychological impact of digital technologies as well as their profound effects on work and play. Donna Seaman

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Paul Levinson delves into the lessons McLuhan holds for the new millennium. This book highlights and explains the truly prophetic nature of McLuhan's theories. Levinson shows us why and how the "Wired" generation is now turning to McLuhan's work to better understand a global village in a digital age. We see how the Internet, in which every computer is a center for producing as well as obtaining information, is the true embodiment of McLuhan's vision of decentralization. Levinson explores the consequences of this revolution on everything from publishing to politics, where the "gatekeepers" of old are giving way to new modes of doing business.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

In this interesting if narrow work, Levinson (The Soft Edge, LJ 2/1/98) explains why Marshall McLuhans theories about the media are more relevant in todays digital age than when they were first presented during the age of television. Levinson points out that the Internet will be the vehicle for a convergence of books, television, and other media such as the telephone, thus making it much more, much different from any prior media. He then applies McLuhans tetrad, the four laws of media, which shift from warning us to remove our past-tinted glasses when looking at the future to indicating what type of territory we might see when those glasses are removed. McLuhan led the way in understanding the relationship of humans to technology; as Levinson attempts to show, his principles have been validated by the Internetwhich to many readers may already be obvious. Recommended for specialized collections.Joe J. Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., Chicago

Bruce Headlam - The New York Times

For readers unfamiliar with McLuhan, Mr. Levinson performs a useful service....Mr. Levinson writes several individual chapters around single ideas....[He] applies McLuhanism to almost every facet of modern communications with the eagerness and subtlety of a high-school debater.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Levinson brings my father's work to bear on the future. This book is a deliberate wake-up call to those unaware of the profound power of media to reshape our lives and our -and every- society. It sparks with hundreds of flashes of insight.  — Eric McLuhan

Neil Postman

With each passing year, Marshall McLuhan's work becomes more prophetic. Thus, clear and readable explications of his work are necessary. No one is better suited to do this than Paul Levinson, and his Digital McLuhan he has provided exactly what his subtitle promises - a guide to the information millennium. — Author of Technopoly

Kevin Kelly

Everyone thought McLuhan was talking about TV, but what he was really talking about was the Internet - two decades before it appeared. This book makes McLuhan's strange ideas seem perfectly obvious in light of the web, email and cyberspace. In a real way, Paul Levinson completes McLuhan's pioneering work. Read this book if you want to decipher life on the screen. — Executive Editor of Wired

David Brin

McLuhan remains deeply relevant in this digital age. Paul Levinson shows how. and what may happen next. — Author of The Transparent Society

W. Terrance Gordon

Paul Levinson has picked up the broad brush of McLuhan the master and used it skillfully to give an arresting and dazzling canvas, remaining faithful all the while to McLuhan's chiaroscuro. — Author of Marshall McLuhan: Escape into Understanding, A Biography and McLuhan for Beginners

Paul Marchand

Paul Levinson explains the relevance of McLuhan's work for an understanding of new media, lucidly and brilliantly. Among the flood of books on our new computer environment, Digital McLuhan is one of the few essential ones - readable, sane, comprehensive, and right on the money. — Author of Marshall McLuhan, The Medium and The Messenger

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