Cybersins and Digital Good Deeds: A Book about Technology and Ethics

Citation

Wilson, J. (2008), "Cybersins and Digital Good Deeds: A Book about Technology and Ethics", Library Management, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 257-257. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120810855377

Unfortunately this book did not live up to its subtitle, which suggested a discussion about the impact of technology and ethical dilemmas raised by technology. Instead the book is an alphabetic collection of 94 short essays explaining jargon terms relating to the internet.

The entries range in length from one to four pages; the term is defined, any ethical issues related to it are teased out, a short bibliography concludes the entry. You can read about new terms such as Absent presence, Cyberchondriacs, Google stalking, Phreaking and Splogs. The question must be raised, why you would consult a book for such terms. These terms tend to date, come into and out of use quickly. As such, consulting definitions in an online source (e.g. wikipedia) would be more appropriate.

The saving grace, for those people interested in the law relating to technology, are the entries on US legislation. These include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its impact on technology in schools; Child Online Protection Act and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The book may be useful for a person who wishes to dip into the topic but is not for the serious researcher.