Ling has written a book that is an informative and reader-friendly mixture of history and sociology. About a third of the text addresses the clock and automobile, with the remainder focused on the mobile phone. The book presents the “social mediation” functions of these devices in a developmental fashion, with many informative details and references to research. This treatise is not concerned with the backstage technological specifications of the devices, but rather considers how these items function to shape our world both individually and collectively. A very broad audience will profit from reading this book, including technologists, historians, and sociologists.

The author claims that “social mediation technologies are legitimate artifacts and systems governed by group-based reciprocal expectations that enable, but set conditions for, the maintenance of our social sphere.” He references Durkheim’s 1938 analysis of social facts as things and builds upon this work in his subsequent discussion of social phenomena, such as how the clock shapes our social expectations of punctuality. New technologies are constantly emerging that change the core societal standards of interacting. The automobile moved from a status symbol for the wealthy to something that created suburban living and even impacted morality, among other issues. The author’s thoughtful and detailed review of the introduction, emerging usage, and impact of the clock, automobile, and mobile communications includes more detail than the typical broad conclusions that one reads. This is part of the gripping and informative value of his book.

The mobile phone started as a novelty, but quickly developed numerous expected and evolving applications that provide, for example, political organizing and mobilization power unknown to previous generations. It also has created social mores and the micro-coordination of daily social interactions that the younger generation in particular takes for granted. Texting becomes an alternative to verbal and face-to-face interactions. Whether one views this as positive or negative, it is impossible to deny the social changes that the contemporary cell phone creates. I recently read that texting could be used to increase college enrollment. This is just a small example of how new embedded technologies become socially transformational.

Ling concludes that these three technologies individually and synergistically interact to create contemporary society as we understand it. Life has moved from local to global interactions. While neighborhood interactions continue to be important, social isolation may also occur. One wishes that the author had speculated about our future society in light of the clearly viewed past, but the word “future” does not appear in the comprehensive index. The reader is so carried along by the book’s narrative that he is left wanting another installment, much like the viewer of a soap opera can’t wait for the next episode. Hopefully, Ling will do this in a future book. Until then, anyone wanting to better understand the power of technology to shape society in almost unnoticed ways must read this book.