James R. Beniger (1946–2010)

Insightful book that traces the origins of the information society back to the a "control crisis" that unfolded in the 19th century (in the US). He shows in a lot of (repetitive, which makes the books rather hard to read) detail how information processing and communication technologies have evolved in response to control problems that resulted by ever increasing speeds of material processing, distribution and consumption. This theoretical concept squarely anchors information technology as a show more technology of control which is an important insight even in the current discussion about technology. Even though the book was written in the 1980s it still feels relevant, which is quite an achievement in itself. show less

I found this book to be surprisingly interesting and informative.

Cybernetics, communication, history of technology, the industrial revolution, industrialization, industrial process control, computer cycle-management - Beniger even brushes upon bureaucracy and social control - it's all here.
I only wish I could recall who recommended this to me, so that I could thank them.

Explains how the 19th c. needs of continuous processing and the railroads led to a completely new way of running a business. Modern business could not scale without the information technology and process changes discussed by Beniger. This is an essential book for understanding the context for modern information technology.

A great book that attempts explain our most recent technological change.