All the Facts presents a history of the role of information in the
United States since 1870, when the nation began a nearly 150-year
period of economic prosperity and technological and scientific
transformations. James Cortada argues that citizens and their
institutions used information extensively as tools to augment their
work and private lives and that they used facts to help shape how
the nation evolved during these fourteen decades. He argues that
information's role has long been a critical component of the work,
play, culture, and values of this nation, and no more so than
during the twentieth century when its function in society expanded
dramatically. While elements of this story have been examined by
thousands of scholars--such as the role of radio, newspapers,
books, computers, and the Internet, about such institutions as
education, big business, expanded roles of governments from town
administration to the state house, from agriculture to the services
and information industries--All the Facts looks at all of these
elements holistically, providing a deeper insight into the way the
United States evolved over time. An introduction and 11 chapters
describe what this information ecosystem looked like, how it
evolved, and how it was used. For another vast layer of information
about this subject the reader is directed to the detailed
bibliographic essay in the back of this book. It includes a
narrative history, case studies in the form of sidebars, and
stories illustrating key points. Readers will find, for example,
the story of how the US postal system helped create today's
information society, along with everything from books and
newspapers to TV, computers, and the Internet. The build-up to what
many today call the Information Age took a long time to achieve and
continues to build momentum. The implications for the world, and
not just for the United States, are as profound as any mega-trend
one could identify in the history of humankind. All the Facts
presents this development thoroughly in an easy-to-digest format
that any lover of history, technology, or the history of
information and business will enjoy.
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