Imagining the figure of the fictional detective as an archetype in the study of modern culture, the author argues that contemporary detective fiction can help us better comprehend fundamental shifts of the Digital Age--in communication, family, entertainment, society, even the way we think as individuals. The nature of the detective story itself models how we build and share knowledge. Drawing on concepts from literature and media studies, the author reveals clues about modern phenomena like conspiracy theory, groupthink and the nature of our digital identities.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments deletevi

Introduction

1-The Age of Electracy

2-Hard Wired

3-Individual Memory

4-Communal Memory

5-Conspiracy

Interlude

6-Assembly Language

7-Copyright and Intellectual Property

8-Alternate Reality Games

Conclusion

Works Cited

Index

Brendan Riley is an associate professor of English at Columbia College Chicago, where he teaches courses exploring digital rhetoric, writing, detective fiction and zombies. His essays on popular culture topics have been published in several edited collections and journals throughout the last decade.