We are increasingly conscious of living in an era whose scale, dimensions and implications we do not fully comprehend. 'Interactivity', 'virtual reality' and 'global communications' are some of the most obvious dimensions of this new reality. Its implications include cross-media acquisitions and mergers by players like Murdoch, Viacom and Disney, and major questions about the future of the printed word and reading.

This book does not attempt to offer a broad survey of the new digital age in all its aspects. Instead, it restricts its questions to cultural standards and the issue of...