Hi everyone, I'd like to make a new book announcement that some people may find of interest. For more detailed information, check the Erlbaum website at: http://www.erlbaum.com/ - Erik Bucy Media Access: Social and Psychological Dimensions of New Technology Use Erik P. Bucy and John E. Newhagen (Eds.) Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004 Hardcover: $69.95 Paperback: $34.50 Media Access, a new book edited by Erik Bucy of Indiana University and John Newhagen of the University of Maryland, presents a series of original studies examining the social and psychological dimensions of new technology use. Although much research attention and policy discussion relating to the digital divide remains focused on physical access to information and communication technology (ICT)or has declared the digital divide all but resolvedthe studies gathered here demonstrate that differential use of ICTs is a more telling, and problematic, indicator than simple measures of computer and Internet access. While demographic markers have been employed to track whether the digital divide is widening or receding, profitable use of new media hinges more on the motivations, individual-level characteristics, and abilities of individual usersdimensions of access whose critical evaluation requires novel approaches, typically at the individual level, and often involving intensive data-gathering techniques. Though important for telecommunications policymaking, next generation studies of the digital divide have been slow in coming. This volume covers three aspects of media access research: cognitive effects, social and cultural consequences, and studies geared toward media access to the public sphere. Interdisciplinary and multi-methodological in nature, the studies collected here rely on large-scale survey data, psychological explanations inferred from experimental data, and cultural explanations derived from depth interviews and ethnographic methods. Media Access should be of interest to a wide variety of teachers and scholars interested in issues relating to technology adoption, public access to new communication technology, and research relating to the digital divide. __________________ Erik P. Bucy, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Telecommunications Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Informatics Radio-TV Center, Rm. 327 1229 E. 7th Street Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405-5501 ebucy@indiana.edu http://php.indiana.edu/~ebucy tel 812.856.5207/fax 812.855.7955