MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 03315cam a2200385 i 4500
001 2013027931
003 DLC
005 20140711085528.0
008 130717s2013 nyu b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2013027931
020 $a9781849660396 (pbk.)
020 $a9781849660419 (hardback)
020 $z9781849660402 (epdf)
020 $z9781849662161 (epub)
040 $aDLC$beng$cDLC$erda$dDLC
042 $apcc
050 00 $aHM851$b.T5285 2013
082 00 $a303.48/33$223
084 $aSOC052000$aTEC041000$2bisacsh
100 1 $aThomas, Sue,$d1951-
245 10 $aTechnobiophilia :$bnature and cyberspace /$cSue Thomas.
264 1 $aNew York :$bBloomsbury,$c2013.
300 $axiii, 251 pages ;$c24 cm
336 $atext$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$2rdacarrier
520 $a"Why are there so many nature metaphors - clouds, rivers, streams, viruses, and bugs - in the language of the internet? Why do we adorn our screens with exotic images of forests, waterfalls, animals and beaches? In Technobiophilia: Nature and Cyberspace, Sue Thomas interrogates the prevalence online of nature-derived metaphors and imagery and comes to a surprising conclusion. The root of this trend, she believes, lies in biophilia, defined by biologist E.O. Wilson as 'the innate attraction to life and lifelike processes'. In this wide-ranging transdisciplinary study she explores the strong thread of biophilia which runs through our online lives, a phenomenon she calls 'technobiophilia', or, the 'innate attraction to life and lifelike processes as they appear in technology'. The restorative qualities of biophilia can alleviate mental fatigue and enhance our capacity for directed attention, soothing our connected minds and easing our relationship with computers.Technobiophilia: Nature and Cyberspace offers new insights on what is commonly known as 'work-life balance'. It explores ways to make our peace with technology-induced anxiety and achieve a 'tech-nature balance' through practical experiments designed to enhance our digital lives indoors, outdoors, and online.The book draws on a long history of literature on nature and technology and breaks new ground as the first to link the two. Its accessible style will attract the general reader, whilst the clear definition of key terms and concepts throughout should appeal to undergraduates and postgraduates of new media and communication studies, internet studies, environmental psychology, and human-computer interaction. www.technobiophilia.com"--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 225-244) and index.
505 8 $aMachine generated contents note: -- List of IllustrationsAcknowledgments PrefaceChapter 1. A place so new that some things still lack namesChapter 2. How nature soothes our connected mindsChapter 3. Cybernetic meadows: The California connection Chapter 4. An enormous, unbounded world Chapter 5. OrganismsChapter 6. Living deliberately NotesBibliography Index.
650 0 $aCyberspace$xSocial aspects.
650 0 $aNature, Healing power of.
650 0 $aNature (Aesthetics)
650 0 $aShared virtual environments.
650 7 $aSOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aTECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Telecommunications.$2bisacsh