Right, the internet, a big topic, but would recommend Here Comes Everybody by the improbably named Clay Shirky as essential reading for, well, everybody. Even if, like certain mystery members of the Vis Com faculty, you regard the internet as a ’slagheap of information’ (tongue in cheek i’m sure…), then this book covers most of the activities currently emerging online and more importantly gives some historical context regarding ‘collective action’.
In a similar vein, the film Us Now (above) by Ivo Gormley was flagged up to us by Sarah Drummond from PD, and is well worth a watch.
(As an interesting aside, when searching for the URL for HCE, I came across this, which is a webibliography — a nice idea to provide a wealth of extra information to readers of good old fashioned paperback books, and surely the first step towards my dream of real hypertexts in actual books that click and link. With camera and web enabled devices like the iphone, and Googles ongoing attempts to digitize all books, this wouldn’t be impossible).
Often mentioned in the same breath as Here Comes Everybody is We-Think by Charles Leadbetter ( http://www.wethinkthebook.net/home.aspx ) — but think particularly we-think (and also partially Here Comes Everybody) borrow heavily (or build on) a lot of the original thinking first found in The Cluetrain Manifesto, by pioneers of ‘Gonzo Marketing’ ( http://www.cluetrain.com/ )