Every day an increasing number of people use so-called "new media". The end product of swift technological innovation, fostered by cultural, economic, political, and institutional processes, such media have quickly become the object of a vast literature. Two specific approaches are of particular interest: the first highlights those aspects of new media which, with respect to traditional media, are technological new; the second underlines their social novelty, in terms of both opportunities on the one hand and threats and inequality on the other. This up-to-date introduction to the universe of computer-mediated communication is noteworthy for its ability to describe clearly how technological and social change influence each other and occur together.

Contents: 1. Introduction. - Part One: Basic Concepts - 2. A Glance at the World of Internet - 3. Net Identities - 4. Virtual Communities - Part Two: Research Areas - 5. The Digital Divide - 6. Digital Cities. - 7. Hate on the Net - 8. Blogs - Index.

Antonio Roversi teaches Sociology of Communication at the University of Bologna and is a member of the Association of Internet Researchers.