So, I haven’t gotten much further in the book and already I have an example (not from the book) of accessible critical theory from this site about Barbie:
In terms of profit, the image of Barbie is owned. But in terms of conversation is it possible that the image of Barbie is “owned” by the society that experiences that image? I’m looking at the web in this case as a medium that is more like conversation than like broadcasting or paper publishing. Particularly in the case of personal websites, where there is no profit nor any attempt to sell any product, the web serves up a global forum, a place for debate, for thought, for reaction to ideas. While books are typically text, the Web allows for rapid dissemination of text and images. The two forms may be intermingled casually and at low cost. This combination of rapid and cheap access to a distribution channel creates an environment for global conversation, more like a huge town hall or bulletin board that is at once far reaching and intimate. And this conversational form includes images on the same level as text.
Is it appropriate to apply copyright laws that were invented for paper reproduction to an environment in which electronic conversation takes place? Internet providers have been seen as publishers, as if they can control content, and decide what will be published at what won’t. In fact they are providing access to a technology, more like Kinko’s Copies than a publisher. Can Kinko’s be sued if an artist xeroxes Barbie, or copies a book, in one of their copy shops?
Tada! This makes me very happy. 
Clearly the author should have mentioned that we do in fact have a concept in Copyright law that covers this–Fair Use–but the larger point still stands.
