This first book in Castells' groundbreaking trilogy, with a substantial new preface, highlights the economic and social dynamics of the information age and shows how the network society has now fully risen on a global scale. * Groundbreaking volume on the impact of the age of information on all aspects of society * Includes coverage of the influence of the internet and the net-economy * Describes the accelerating pace of innovation and social transformation * Based on research in the USA, Asia, Latin America, and Europe