The Virtual

Rob Shields unravels the origins and the many contemporary meanings of thevirtualas a concept. Shields dissects the history of the virtual world and takes his analysis beyond the technologies themselves to show how the virtual has infiltrated our daily lives at every level. From the moral panics over paedophile stalkers on the net to the automated telemarketing that interrupts our dinners and clogs our answer phones to the laptops which keep us connected to the office twenty four hours a day, technology has become an integral part of modern living. With insight and clarity,The Virtualreveals how technology has become virtually entwined in contemporary society.