Ultimately, he reveals the crucial role played by the cybernetics moment-when cybernetics and information theory were seen as universal sciences-in setting the stage for our current preoccupation with information technologies.
The book examines the impact of four key urbanizing technologies—telephone, automobile, radio, and electric power—on rural America between 1900 and 1960. It investigates whether these innovations transformed rural life as expected, highlighting the complex dynamics between promoters of these technologies and farm families who adapted them to their culture. By avoiding technological determinism, the author delves into the levels of resistance and acceptance encountered during this period of change, providing a nuanced understanding of rural adaptation to modernization.