web

Can a corporate-dominated Web become an environment conducive to literary activity? The novelist, essayist, and cultural critic Curtis White is skeptical. Responding to criticisms of his account of the devolution of literary publishing and reflecting on the prevalence of market-driven values in online exchanges, White doubts whether literature can distinguish itself in the noisy new media ecology, which he likens to a high-tech prison house.

Scott Rettberg appreciates Weinberg's small pieces more than his 'unified theory,' while viewing the Internet not as an economic panacea but a communication medium woven into the fabric of contemporary culture.