Information Superhighways: Multimedia Users and Futures

A global information revolution has begun. Converging communications and computing technologies are forming information superhighways, linking people and information interactively, at any time, in any place, via a combination of multimedia, digital video, sound, graphics, and text.
The challenge now is to understand the needs of people as the users of information superhighways and develop products and services that use the technological advances to positive effect. This is the first book to examine these issues. It shows that by focusing on users, a range of multimedia applications emerge which make more imaginative use of computing and bandwidth than the products of the current focus on application development, such as"video on demand."The book emphasizes the point that the information revolution will be driven by users, not the multimedia industry.
Information Superhighways is essential reading for those working in the communications, computing, and media industries, and in multimedia. It will also be of interest to students and practitioners in psychology, computing, and human-computer interaction.

Foreword by best-selling author Nicholas Negroponte, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Senior Columnist for Wired magazineDiscusses the importance of the coming information ageOutlines need for innovation in regulatory policyPresents the idea of using multimedia to design organizationsDescribes multimedia-supported group workingGives discussion of designing media spaceProvides coverage of issues in user-centered multimedia development

Part 1: Overview: S. Emmott, Introduction. Part 2: Issues: P. Cochrane, The Information Wave. R. Mansell, From Telephony to Telematics: Equity, Efficiency and Regulatory Innovation. R. Silverstone, Media, Communication, Information, and the 'Revolution of Everyday Life. W. Dutton, Driving into the Future of Communications? Check the Rearview Mirror. N. Sheehy, Designing Organizations Using Telematic Technologies: Risks and Benefits. Part 3: Applications: J. Tang and E. Isaacs, Studies of Multimedia-Supported Collaboration. C. Heath, P. Luff, and A. Sellen, From Video-Mediated Communication to Technologies for Collaboration: Reconfiguring Media Space. D. Travis, The Electronic Agora. B. Nardi, H. Schwarz, A. Kuchinsky, R. Leichner, S. Whittaker, and R. Sclabassi, Video-as-Data: Turning Away from Talking Heads. V. Bruce, The Role of the Face in Face-to-Face Communication: Implications for Videotelephony. R. Watt, An Examination of the Visual Aspects of Human Facial Gesture. A. Monk, Interdisciplinary Approaches to Multimedia Research. Index.