 | Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob by Lee Siegel
Buy used from: $2.46 Siegel is concerned about the effect the Internet is having on our culture & on knowledge. He points out that information (Wikipedia) is not knowledge, but it's being treated as such. He talks about culture becoming derivative rather than original, citing "American Idol", mash-ups, & the philosophy behind "The Tipping Point."
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 | Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives by John Palfrey
Buy new: $18.68 / Used from: $0.48 This generation will not think about the Internet like older generations do. They will/do not understand the need for copyright laws. They will not worry about privacy as older generations do either. The author discusses these ideas along with the issue of information overload, constant multi-tasking, & the loss of critical thinking.
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 | The Cult of the Amateur by Andrew Keen
Buy used from: $22.35 Keen believes unequivocally that the Internet is destroying both our culture and our economy. Copyright is doomed and the voice of reason and true knowledge will be lost in the din of the uninformed. He has some valid points mixed in with some unproven naysaying. Another quick read.
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 | Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder by David Weinberger
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $5.00 Written by a cataloger (librarian) this interesting book talks about how cataloging has become less relevant to the needs of the information seeker simply because it is not flexible enough. His example of cataloging vs a Staples store is excellent. He too sees information changing our culture and our economy, but he doesn't necessarily think it's a bad thing.
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 | Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky
Buy new: $16.35 / Used from: $4.10 Easily the best book on my list. Find out how technology and people work together. More is different, faster is different. Not better, not worse. Adaptation of tools is a slower process than the invention of tools. What are the three ingredients for the successful use of social tools? Shirky offers great stories for every point he makes. Fascinating reading that you don't want to miss.
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 | Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution by Howard Rheingold
Buy new: $11.84 / Used from: $1.22 Technology is a culture altering phenomena that is changing relationships everywhere. Japanese children have privacy, actions of groups can be coordinated without a leader, reputations of products & companies can be made or destroyed and more. Rheingold feels there is an urgency to this change that needs to be directed positively.
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 | The Social Life of Information by John Seely Brown
Buy used from: $5.98 Excellent book about why information doesn't live in a vacuum. Makes some interesting points about the difference between information & knowledge. In spite of it's age (2000), this is still a relevant book.
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 | Tagging: People-powered Metadata for the Social Web by Gene Smith
Buy new: $26.39 / Used from: $21.96 We no longer rely on librarians to catalog the information we seek. Does this degrade the information we find or improve it? The answer is surprising and complex. This short book is an easy and engrossing read on what tagging means to many information users and aggregators today.
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 | Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $8.99 A short book with some amazing ideas in it. Ideas that struck me the most: Make a change and ask for forgiveness later. One is a heretic if you believe in faith but not in religion. Being a heretic gives you freedom. I am a member from many more tribes than I realized. Recognizing my tribes has given me more power.
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 | Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World by Jack Goldsmith
Buy new: $9.95 / Used from: $4.15 Excellent book that is easy to read and interesting. The bad news is that the Internet is not the wild borderless place you think it is. Government has found a way to control the internet when they want to. China is proof of that. As long as there is hardware you are reachable!
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 | Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott
Buy new: $18.45 / Used from: $3.16 I came late to this book, but found it very interesting and relevant. The main point is that mass collaboration means we need to be more open with information and resources if we hope to get ahead. Fascinating examples in each chapter make his points easy to understand. Excellent starting point for this topic!
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 | Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business by Jeff Howe
Buy new: $17.79 / Used from: $4.75 Howe presents a number of examples of why he thinks that crowdsourcing will shape commerce and business to come. It's hard to argue as more and more companies, nonprofits, and others take advantage of this power every day. Definitely the groundbreaking book on the topic.
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 | The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain
Buy new: $19.80 / Used from: $5.33 An excellent book that discusses the amazing growth of the internet & how that growth is in danger of being cut off due to specific problems such as spammers and viruses. He fears that the generative technology will be locked down and tethered to only specific uses to protect the user.
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 | Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $12.58 Once I've read this I'll add some commentary.
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 | Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World by Don Tapscott
Buy new: $18.45 / Used from: $12.42 Once I've read this I'll add some commentary.
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 | The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $6.00 Once I've read this I'll add some commentary.
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