Encyclopedia of Multimedia Technology and Networking

Encyclopedia of Multimedia Technology and Networking

Multimedia technology and networking are changing at a remarkable rate. Despite the telecoms crash of 2001, innovation in networking applications, technologies, and services has continued unabated. The exponential growth of the Internet, the explosion of mobile communications, the rapid emergence of electronic commerce, the restructuring of businesses, and the contribution of digital industries to growth and employment, are just a few of the current features of the emerging digital economy.

This encyclopaedia captures a vast array of the components and dimensions of this dynamic sector of the world economy. Professor Margherita Pagani and her editorial board have done a remarkable job at compiling such a rich collection of perspectives on this fast moving domain. The encyclopaedia’s scope and content will provide scholars, researchers, and professionals with much current information about concepts, issues, trends, and technologies in this rapid evolving industrial sector.

Multimedia technologies and networking are at the heart of the current debate about economic growth and performance in advanced economies. The pervasive nature of the technological change and its widespread diffusion has profoundly altered the ways in which businesses and consumers interact. As IT continues to enter workplaces, homes, and learning institutions, many aspects of work and leisure are changing radically. The rapid pace of technological change and the growing connectivity that IT makes possible have resulted in a wealth of new products, new markets, and new business models. However, these changes also bring new risks, new challenges, and new concerns.