Empire of Mind - Summary of Academic Reviews

Summary of Academic Reviews

A review of this book by Darren Wershler-Henry in the Canadian Journal of Communication states, "There is also an inconsistency between Strangelove’s criteria for a useful model of the Internet and that for his model of capitalism. “Within critical theory,” writes Strangelove, “philosophical and economic enquiry tends to recreate the Internet in the image of the twentieth century” (p. 98). Fair enough, but why does Strangelove rely on a model of capitalism that is every bit as dated?"

A review of this book by Tarleton Gillespie in New Media and Society notes that "Strangelove is working very much from within a Marxist, critical theory of communication and society" and questions Strangelove's claim that "the file-trading of commercial music and film, which he sees as a widespread disregard for the principle of property, is not an aberration, but is in fact the resting state of the Internet."

A review in Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review, by Michael Truscello, notes that Strangelove "is quick to point out, repeatedly, that he is not projecting utopian ends for Internet communication; rather, his "concern" is with what he calls "embryonic dynamics," emergent possibilities that may not realize a transformation of the social order for some time. In essence, "by simply allowing all voices a forum, the Internet subverts the hegemonic construction of reality." Hegemonic appeals are unsustainable in an environment of "unconstrained communicative action," he suggests, and this is "the heart of the Internet's most probable long-term social effect."

A review in The Communication Review by Scott Uzelman notes that the "empire of mind" as defined by Strangelove "standardizes beliefs and wants that are "engineered" or "programmed" by capitalism and "constructed through the corporate media which acts as a propaganda tool for the elite."" Yet the reviewer contends that "'capitalism is not reducible to a belief system".

A review in Politics and Culture, by Alex Kashnabish, describes The Empire of Mind as a book that "challenges the prevailing assumptions surrounding the Internet and its possibilities". Kashnabish writes that this book "is at its strongest and most convincing when taking up the analysis of the Internet and its relationship to capitalism’s symbolic economy as well as in regards to the significant – if not insurmountable – challenges involved in enclosing the Internet and turning it into fully corporatized space. In both these respects, Strangelove’s argument is nuanced and persuasive." The reviewer suggests that Strangelove overstates the potential of culture jamming.