Eastern Standard Tribe

I took a sociology class in university in which we learned about two basic methods of societies becoming organized: either by common location, or by common interest. Eastern Standard Tribe takes that concept, as well as the fact that people use computers and other communication technologies more often in their personal lives than in previous generations, and takes them to an extreme conclusion. This novel is full of “tribes”, groups organized by common interest and the time zone that they live in - so while someone might physically live in London, if their mindset and peer group are centred in the Eastern time zone, they're going to adjust their schedule to fit that. And, since most communication is done via email and most people work from home, it's perfectly easy to do so.
That's where the novel falls a bit flat - in some ways, it's less a coherent, sustaining world and more Cory Doctorow's idea of a utopia; and, like most utopian novels, it allows him to express his ideas on what an ideal society should be like. Now, personally, I tend to appreciate a lot of the things that Doctorow advocates for, so that's not entirely a bad thing, and I can follow along as he switches gears between narrative and soapbox.