Danger! Metaphors at Work in Economics, Geophysiology, and the Internet

Bibliographic Data

ID5237306
AuthorsSally Wyatt (0000-0001-6663-1591, University of Amsterdam, corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume29
Issue2
Pages242-261
Publication date2004-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Technology & Human Values (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0162-2439 • E-ISSN: 1552-8251
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0162243903261947
OpenAlexW2139099060
LanguageEN
Citations received55
References cited12

The authoranalyzes the types of metaphors that are used to describe the Internetin issues of Wired magazine from before and after the dot-com collapse to understand the perceptions and expectations of some of the actors involved in the shaping of the Internet. In addition, the metaphors deployed in economics and geophysiology are used to demonstrate how metaphors can influence public debate, policy, and theory. The author argues that metaphors do not simply have a descriptive function but that they also carry normative connotations. Language, alongside social practices and material objects, is an important tool in attempts to construct the future. Six overlapping metaphorical themes are identified: revolution, evolution, salvation, progress, universalism, and the "American dream." A critical analysis of these metaphors, informed by a critique of the metaphors used in economics and geophysiology, leads the author to challenge the universalist claims made by some Internet enthusiasts for the inclusive potential of the Internet

Epistemology · Metaphor · Normative · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · The Internet · Universalism · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Law · Rhetoric and Communication Studies

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub