John Brunner's book is frequently mentioned as one of the forerunners of the cyberpunk subgenre of sf. Heavily influenced by Alvin Toffler's Future Shock, it is less preachy than most futurology/media theory-influenced books, and much less so than most utopian novels. I enjoyed it far more than I expected to, and recommend it to cyberpunk fans--just add a few decades to all of the dates that were still the future when the book was written in 1975. (Why did 2000 seem like so much more than 25 years away then? Oh well.) At any rate, recommended...full of sly humor and some thought-provoking ideas. It also does well when read alongside The Transparent Society, by David Brin.