This definitive work on the perils and promise of the social- media revolution collects writings by today's best thinkers and cultural commentators, with an all-new introduction by Bauerlein.Twitter, Facebook, e-publishing, blogs, distance-learning and other social media raise some of the most divisive cultural questions of our time. Some see the technological breakthroughs we live with as hopeful and democratic new steps in education, information gathering, and human progress. But others are deeply concerned by the eroding of civility online, declining reading habits, withering attention spans, and the treacherous effects of 24/7 peer pressure on our young.With The Dumbest Generation, Mark Bauerlein emerged as the foremost voice against the development of an overwhelming digital social culture. But The Digital Divide doesn't take sides. Framing the discussion so that leading voices from across the spectrum, supporters and detractors alike, have the opportunity to weigh in on the profound issues raised by the new media-from questions of reading skills and attention span, to cyber-bullying and the digital playground- Bauerlein's new book takes the debate to a higher ground.The book includes essays by Steven Johnson, Nicholas Carr, Don Tapscott, Douglas Rushkoff, Maggie Jackson, Clay Shirky, Todd Gitlin, and many more. Though these pieces have been previously published, the organization of The Digital Divide gives them freshness and new relevancy, making them part of a single document readers can use to truly get a handle on online privacy, the perils of a plugged-in childhood, and other technology-related hot topics.Rather than dividing the book into "pro" and "con" sections, the essays are arranged by subject-"The Brain, the Senses," "Learning in and out of the Classroom," "Social and Personal Life," "The Millennials," "The Fate of Culture," and "The Human (and Political) Impact." Bauerlein incorporates a short headnote and a capsule bio about each contributor, as well as relevant contextual information about the source of the selection.Bauerlein also provides a new introduction that traces the development of the debate, from the initial Digital Age zeal, to a wave of skepticism, and to a third stage of reflection that wavers between criticism and endorsement.Enthusiasms for the Digital Age has cooled with the passage of time and the piling up of real-life examples that prove the risks of an online-focused culture. However, there is still much debate, comprising thousands of commentaries and hundreds of books, about how these technologies are rewriting our futures. Now, with this timely and definitive volume, readers can finally cut through the clamor, read the the very best writings from each side of The Digital Divide, and make more informed decisions about the presence and place of technology in their lives.

这部关于社交媒体革命的危险和承诺的权威作品收集了当今最好的思想家和文化评论家的文章，并由鲍尔林作了全新的介绍。Twitter、Facebook、电子出版、博客、远程教育和其他社交媒体提出了我们这个时代一些最具分歧的文化问题。一些人认为我们生活中的技术突破是教育、信息收集和人类进步中充满希望和民主的新步骤。但也有人对网上文明的侵蚀、阅读习惯的下降、注意力的萎缩以及24/7的同龄人压力对我们年轻人的影响深表担忧。但《数字鸿沟》并不偏袒任何一方。鲍尔林的新书将讨论引向了一个更高的层次，使来自各方面的主要声音，包括支持者和反对者，都有机会对新媒体引起的深刻问题进行评判--从阅读技能和注意力问题，到网络欺凌和数字操场--鲍尔林的新书将辩论引向了更高的层次。虽然这些文章以前已经出版过，但《数字鸿沟》的组织方式使它们具有新鲜感和新的相关性，使它们成为单一文件的一部分，读者可以用来真正掌握在线隐私、插入式童年的危险以及其他与技术有关的热门话题。 这些文章没有把书分成 "赞成 "和 "反对 "两部分，而是按主题排列--"大脑、感官"、"课堂内外的学习"、"社会和个人生活"、"千禧一代"、"文化的命运 "和 "人类（和政治）影响"。鲍尔莱恩在书中加入了一个简短的标题和关于每个贡献者的简介，以及关于选题来源的相关背景信息。鲍尔莱恩还提供了一个新的导言，追溯了辩论的发展，从最初的数字时代的热情，到怀疑的浪潮，以及在批评和认可之间摇摆不定的第三阶段的思考。然而，关于这些技术如何改写我们的未来，仍有许多争论，包括数以千计的评论和数百本书籍。现在，有了这本及时的权威书，读者终于可以穿过喧嚣，阅读来自《数字鸿沟》每一方的最佳著作，并对技术在他们生活中的存在和地位做出更明智的决定。