Drawing widely on sociological, economic, and political theory cominbined with detailed attention to technical, business, and sociological evidence, this critical scholarly work offers a comprehensive analysis both of the significance of computing and communications technologies and the nature of contemporary society. This study argues that information technology, in association with the spread of corporate capitalism and the modern state, represents the extension and consolidation of control within the workplace and out into the wider society. The book includes detailed historical, empirical, and theoretical analysis which are crucial for an understaning of the new information technologies.