The hopes currently associated with the introduction of new electronic media find a striking parallel in the enthusiasm with which the printing press was praised in the 15th and 16th centuries as a medium for public enlightenment, for saving human effort in acquiring information, and for solving nearly all communicative problems. There is much to suggest that we are currently, without fully realizing it, in the process of repeating the technical and cultural innovation processes that occurred with the introduction of the printing press. This book aims to uncover these repetitions. As we are currently just at the beginning of a new cycle of innovation, it may be that looking back at the Gutenberg invention will provide us with insights into the next phases of the current media revolution.