The Control Revolution - JD Keiles

James R. Beniger’s  “The Control Revolution” discusses the gradual changes in our society that have been fueled by slow and explicit technological advances. Starting in the 19^th century and continuing through 2014, technological changes have affected everything from our social interactions with others; to the way we consume goods. Beniger stresses how important communication is to the process of controlling people’s behavior. He goes into depth about the different modes of communication, their history dating back to the telephone and postal service, and how the progression to today’s rapid forms of online communication are only another stepping stone in this long and complex method of control.

This article is actually an excerpt from Beniger’s book “The Control Revolution,” published in 1986 by Harvard University Press. James Beniger is an associated professor at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He is a graduate from Harvard University and has a Ph.D. from Princeton University, where he has also taught classes. This book is applicable to really anybody living in today’s technology and communication dominated society. This book is great for an audience interested in both technology and societal studies. It explores how the two subjects intermingle to create a consumer-based culture.

Based on Harvard University Press’s review section, the book has been acclaimed as a good read. Critical Review stated that “It is beautifully done and is built to last… Everything about the book is intelligent.” Another book titled, “Living in Information Age: New Media Reader” by Erik Bucy similarly discusses the changes in technology and how they have affected society’s media landscape. Based on an online synopsis from Powells.com, Bucy encourages readers to look into how media industries are changing because of digital convergence and an economy increasingly dominated by big businesses.

Overall, I really did enjoy reading this except. It was nice to see a formal explanation of how business can exploit the use of media to get consumers to buy their products. I liked what Beniger had to say about rationalization and how more control can be gained through increasing consumer’s ability to process information while at the same time limiting the amount of information they are exposed to. It really is a lot more complex than I imagined. After learning about both rationalization and bureaucracy, it was interesting to see how they both work together to affect “three distinct areas of economic activity: production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services” (Beniger 61). As little as citizens realize, each of their decisions, both socially and financially, are influenced by the people around them and the media outlets they are exposed to. I’m curious to see how control over consumers will be affected as technology continues to become more accessible and specific to the public. As big business like Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Wal-Mart continue to grow it will be interesting to see how technology, communication, and consumerism will be affected in the future.

Works Cited

Beniger, James R.. The control revolution: technological and economic origins of the information society. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1986. Print.

"Living in Information Age : New Media Reader (2ND 05 Edition)." Powell's Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780534633400>.

"The Control Revolution." Harvard University Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674169869&content=reviews>.