"Apps is the definitive book for anyone who wants to know about mobile apps. International expert Goggin guides us through the complex and contested histories and evolutions of mobile apps. This is the first book to take seriously the role of mobile apps across social, cultural, economic, and political terrain by providing a systematic overview of mobile apps as interwoven in the many facets of our lives."Larissa Hjorth, RMIT University"We all use apps, but what are they? In this technologically expert, economically smart overview, Gerard Goggin, a leading global expert on mobile phones, offers a timely assessment of the creative, social, and extractive work that apps do while we use them."Nick Couldry, London School of Economics and Political Science"Apps offers a broad view of apps as tools, communication media, and social laboratories, giving enough historical context to help readers understand how apps developed out of and fit into the context of other information communication technologies. This book would serve as a useful starting point for students, scholars, and members of the general public (presumably app users) interested in studying apps and looking for a map of the general landscape of the field of study."International Journal of Communication
List of AbbreviationsList of TablesAcknowledgements1. Introduction2. What's an App?3. App Economy4. App Media5. Social Laboratories of Apps6. After AppsReferencesIndex
Gerard Goggin is Wee Kim Wee Professor of Communication Studies at Nanyang Technological University.