“Mobile Communication and Society – A Global Perspective” seems to be the sequel of the seminal Castells’ book, “The Network Society”. Considering the evolution of communication technologies towards fixed and mobile convergent networks, this book was expected. Thus, the label of sequel does not want to downgrade the book, but, on the contrary, emphasise the evolution of Castells’ analysis on communication technologies and society. Castells and the other authors describe a system in motion from “the network society” based on the Internet to “the mobile network society” based on a new set of wireless and mobile technologies.

The “network society” becomes ubiquitous and pervasive using mobile and wireless technologies, which allow people to be on-line anywhere and anytime. This new scenario, the “mobile network society”, this is the term used in the conclusion of the book, is expressed using other two famous terms of Castells’ thought: “space flows” and “timeless time”. “Space flows” refer to the organization of interactions between people located in distant places with the support of telecommunications. “Timeless time” refers to the “desequencing of social action” through the deconstruction of the time: there are not times for specific actions; there are times for everything. “Space of flows” and “timeless time” provide a new structure to society. Mobile communications “contribute to the spread of the space flows and timeless time” empowering the novelties of the “network society” and introducing new devices, new opportunities, and new changes.

Almost the entire book explores the diffusion and use of mobile devices, the new possibilities they are bringing, and the changes are causing. All these topics are analysed looking at the different geographical areas of the world, at gender, at age groups and at ethnical groups. An entire chapter is dedicated to youth as inventors of the social use of mobile technologies. It is also claimed how mobile technologies are a new tool to engage young people in politics and increase their social and political awareness. The book recognizes to mobile devices the power to reach vast audience and so the capacity to possibly create momentum around social and political events. In this sense, the case of the South Korean election in 2002 is exemplar. A young group of activists, called Nosamo, promote a vast on-line campaign in favour of the liberal and reformist candidate at the Presidential election, Roo Moo-Hyum. Roo Moo-Hyum had not the media support and the large corporate do not support him too. Roo Moo-Hyum seemed to be fated to a defeat. The day before the election, Nosamo exploited their vast network of contacts in the last hope to involve the young electorate. They sent 800000 messages to mobile phones to urge supporters to go and vote for Roo Moo-Hyum. Roo Moo-Hyum surprised South Korea winning the election with a strong youth support. It cannot be said that the use of mobile contributed to Roo’s victory, but, certainly, they helped to reach an audience difficult to capture.

The investigation of the “mobile network society”, briefly illustrated above, is carried out using a global perspective as it is mentioned in the title of the book. It is not just a research choice. It is also the recognition of the “globalising” power of communication technologies. The mobile communications, as the new frontier of communication, are contributing to the globalisation of human activities. However, the book does not engage in any forecasting attempt. It does not try to foresee socio-technological directions of communication technologies. The book captures a moment of a system in motion with an in depth descriptive analysis. The speed of the evolution of the socio-technological system of communication technologies can make this photo blurred soon.

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