Brian Loader is Co-Director of the Community Information Research and Applications Unit at the University of Teesside

• Introduction 1 Cyberspace divide: equality, agency and policy in the information society Part I Divisions, difference and social exclusion 2 Global networks and the myth of equality: trickle down or trickle away? 3 Who are the world’s information-poor? 4 The ‘crisis’ in the urban public realm Part II Identity, autonomy and social interaction 5 Gender, agency, location and the new information society 6 Ethics @ the Internet: bilateral procedures in electronic communication 7 The Internet, virtual reality and real reality 8 Why even scholars don’t get a free lunch in cyberspace: my adventures with a tunnelvisionary Part III Strategies for social inclusion 9 Confucius or capitalism? policies for an information society 10 Information and citizenship in Europe 11 Managing the cyberspace divide: government investment in electronic information services 12 Connecting Wales: the Internet and national Identity 13 The Internet, other ‘nets’ and healthcare

'A good hard look at claims that the Internet will bring a massive redistribution of power ... what's really useful about this book is the level of detail provided.' - New Scientist