The New Reality: Media Technology and Urban Fortress

Abstract

Advocates of the “information superhighway” claim that it will create a more democratic society and that it will help abolish ethnic and social barriers. On the contrary, the new technology is more likely to further segregation than to establish a forum for interaction among all fragments of society. This article, based on a series of case studies, explores the impact of the information superhighway on America's urban landscape—from the privatization of public space to the fortification of the backyard—and reveals a changing attitude toward public space in America.