Interpersonal Divide

Interpersonal Divide in the Age of the Machine challenges us to scrutinize data science and take inventory of ourselves through the lens of the human condition, from which media and technology offer escape. Through a rich telling of media history and deep discussion of media and civic issues from an applied perspective, Bugeja illustrates how each medium changes the message, resulting in cultural upheaval that also causes deep rifts in personal and professional relationships. This new recasting of the Interpersonal Divide addresses the impact on society of machines in the age of big data and artificial intelligence and urges us to remain focused on the importance of consciousness, conscience, and community.

"The book is an important, useful, and well-researched exploration of the ways in which modern electronic technologies are influencing, in troubling fashion, the development of machine ethics in our culture that threaten the ongoing development and preservation of universal, fundamental human ethics." -Michael Larkin, University of California, Berkeley"The text offers an extensive overview of the literature concerning the interaction of media and audience and the ability of media to shape audience." -Daniel de Roulet, Irvine Valley College "The Interpersonal Divide approaches the complex landscape of media's impact on society from a sophisticated and cultural perspective. The book approaches media's place in our daily lives from three pillars of contemporary society: the home, the school and work. This provides an in-depth look at not only the technological impacts of media on our lives, but how those are embedded in our approaches to daily life, and the ethical choices we make on a regular basis." -Paul Mihailidis, Emerson College"This book is an interesting look at the intertwining of our cultural, technological, and ethical histories. Considering the scope of the project, it's extremely readable for undergraduate students." -Ben S. Bunting, Jr., Oregon Institute of Technology"Thought-provoking discussion; timely; classroom friendly text with stimulating exercises." -Chandra Commuri, California State University, Bakersfield"This book does a good job of working from a Journalistic approach to media studies. The scope of reference points and currency of the material commends it greatly for presentation to students." -Calvin L. Troup, Duquesne University"Interpersonal Divide in the Age of the Machine builds on the work of Postman, Turkle, and Carr to clarify what is at stake if we don't recognize how the media we use may be affecting more than individuals and culture. It may be changing who we are as human beings."--Janet McMullen, University of North Alabama

Michael J. Bugeja is an ethicist and author of twenty-three books, including Living Ethics Across Media Platforms and Vanishing Act: The Erosion of Online Footnotes and Implications for Scholarship in the Digital Age. Living Ethics, along with the first edition of Interpersonal Divide, won the prestigious Clifford G. Christians Award for research in media ethics. Dr. Bugeja directed the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University of Science and Technology.