Smart Mobs takes us on a journey around the world for a preview of the next techno-cultural shift. The coming wave, says Rheingold, is the result of super-efficient mobile communications-cellular phones, wireless-paging, and Internet-access devices-that will allow us to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere. Rheingold offers a penetrating perspective on the new convergence of pop culture, cutting-edge technology, and social activism. He also reminds us that the real impact of mobile communications will come not from the technology itself but from how people use it, resist it, and adapt to it.

Howard Rheingold is a leading authority on the social implications of technology. A former founding editor of HotWired, he has served as editor of The Whole Earth Review and editor-in-chief of The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog, and on-line host for The Well. He lives in Mill Valley, California.