The American Internet advantage: Global themes and implications

This dissertation is about American leadership in an important sector of civilian high technology, the Internet; and about the global political, social, economic, and philosophical implications of this leadership and of high technology itself. While social science literature on globalization is very extensive, this work aims to make an original theoretical contribution to the understanding of the modem global order that is being shaped by the Internet and the business of its production. Neo-liberal, neo-Marxist, critical, and "apocalyptic" perspectives are examined in order to accomplish that goal. The analysis of these perspectives leads to a synthesis, Pragmatic neo-Liberalism which, I argue, is superior--because it is more comprehensive and realistic than any of the perspectives that inspired it. The modem global order of high technology, of which the Internet is just a part, is characterized by American dominance. This dissertation examines the reasons for and the implications of the US advantage in the Internet business. At the center of this project is the proposition that high technology, including the Internet, are driven by modem business, universities, and government. In the process, a new global society is being shaped. The future of that society is unknown, but the difference between disaster and success may be in the difference between strong ideological commitments and pragmatism.