Finally, there is a way to understand the bizarre relationship we Americans have with our information technology: the media is alive.

Welcome to the "datasphere," also known as the late twentieth century. Here, good news, bad news, any news, travels in the blink of an eye. And not just news, but information: ideas, images, and icons; fads, fashions, and fantasies; truths, lies, and propaganda.

While cable television, fiber-optic telecommunications, satellite dishes, computer modems, camcorders, fax machines, and videocassettes form the crisscrossed arteries of a vast "information superhighway," we must ask ourselves: What sort of messages are these brave new medias carrying into our culture?

Bold, daring, and provocative, Media Virus! examines the intricate ways in which popular media both manipulates and is manipulated by those who know how to tap into its power. And it considers - with something between amusement and mild alarm - the ever-widening ripple effect of the successful "media virus.".

As culture critic for our wild times, Douglas Rushkoff shows that where there's a wavelength, there's a way to "infect" those on it - from the subtly, but intentionally, subversive signals broadcast by shows like "The Simpsons," to the odd serendipity of a classic New York-style sex 'n' family values scandal (a la Woody and Mia) exploited by the Republicans during their convention.

What does it all mean? Unless you've been living in a cave that isn't cable-ready, you're already infected with the media virus. But don't worry, it won't make you sick. It will make you think....