My apologies for the self-promotion. But, given the discussions of Facebook on this list and the apocalyptic ideas in Douglas Rushkoff’s new book, I think MEA members might be interested in the two publications mentioned below.
1. Below is the link to an article that uses McLuhan’s concept of overextended and «overheated» media to theorize the existential connections between petroglyphs, Facebook, and the Hubble Space Telescope. The result is an utterly novel take on the deeper meanings of Facebook, as a cultural response to the Hubble. The article was published in a special edition of Telematics and Informatics devoted to exploring the Facebook phenomenon.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736585312000299
The article should be free if your university subscribes to Elsevier.
2. My new book uses McLuhan («medium is the massage») and other theorists to explore reasons for the proliferation of apocalyptic culture. It’s not just those new agers who wanted to believe in «2012» myths, for the apocalypse is all over our culture. The reasons are deep and surprising and the book provides an optimistic ending. The book is called The End of the World — Again: Why the Apocalypse Meme Replicates in Media, Science, and Culture.
The Kindle version is coming soon.
Thanks for your interest,
Barry Vacker
Barry Vacker
Associate Professor
Temple University
Founder and President
Center for Media and Destiny
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