The Virtual

This book looks at the origins and the many contemporary meanings of thevirtual. Rob Shields shows how the construction of virtual worlds has a longhistory. He ... » 

This book looks at the origins and the many contemporary meanings of thevirtual. Rob Shields shows how the construction of virtual worlds has a longhistory. He examines the many forms of faith and hysteria that have surroundedcomputer technologies in recent years. Moving beyond the technologiesthemselves he shows how the virtual plays a role in our daily lives at everylevel. The virtual is also an essential concept needed to manage innovation andrisk. It is real but not actual ideal but not abstract. The virtual heargues has become one of the key organizing principles of contemporary societyin the public realms of politics business and consumption as well as in ourprivate lives. «