Understanding the Information Age: The Uneasy Relations between Sociology and Cultural Studies in Britain

In the United Kingdom there has been a discernable shift away from interest in the Information Society towards concern with the character of Cyberspace and Virtuality. In key ways this reorientation reflects the rise of Cultural Studies and its impatience with aspects of Sociology. This article explores aspects of the relations between these two subject areas and difficulties in understanding and explaining contemporary change. It is suggested that Cultural Studies has outpaced Sociology in its response to recent changes.