| Computer Technology |
| Sociology |
| Technology |
| Nonfiction |
| 9780802192318 |
Summary
Summary
The renowned Internet commentator and author of How to Fix the Future "expos[es] the greed, egotism and narcissism that fuels the tech world" ( Chicago Tribune ).
The digital revolution has contributed to the world in many positive ways, but we are less aware of the Internet's deeply negative effects. The Internet Is Not the Answer , by longtime Internet skeptic Andrew Keen, offers a comprehensive look at what the Internet is doing to our lives. The book traces the technological and economic history of the Internet, from its founding in the 1960s through the rise of big data companies to the increasing attempts to monetize almost every human activity. In this sharp, witty narrative, informed by the work of other writers, reporters, and academics, as well as his own research and interviews, Keen shows us the tech world, warts and all.
Startling and important, The Internet Is Not the Answer is a big-picture look at what the Internet is doing to our society and an investigation of what we can do to try to make sure the decisions we are making about the reconfiguring of our world do not lead to unpleasant, unforeseen aftershocks.
"Andrew Keen has written a very powerful and daring manifesto questioning whether the Internet lives up to its own espoused values. He is not an opponent of Internet culture, he is its conscience, and must be heard." --Po Bronson, #1 New York Times -bestselling author
Author Notes
Praise for The Internet Is Not the Answer:"The Internet Is Not the Answer is the most compelling, persuasive, and passionately negative thing I''ve yet read on this topic. It offers a scary picture of how the ultra-libertarian superstars of Silicon Valley are leading us inexorably into a future with the sort of social inequalities not seen in the West since the early days of the Industrial Revolution."--Kazuo Ishiguro, New Statesman (Books of the Year)"Andrew Keen has written a very powerful and daring manifesto questioning whether the Internet lives up to its own espoused values. He is not an opponent of Internet culture, he is its conscience, and must be heard."--Po Bronson"Andrew Keen is the Christopher Hitchens of the Internet. Neglect this book with peril. In an industry and world full of prosaic pabulum about the supposedly digitally divine, Keen''s work is an important and sharp razor."--Michael Fertik, CEO, Reputation.com"This is the best and most readable critique of Silicon Valley yet. Keen is no technophobe nor a stranger to The Valley and this is what makes his book especially devastating. On the other hand it allows him to carve out a small space for optimism."--David Lowery, founder of Camper Van Beethoven and cofounder of Cracker"Keen is intent on exposing the greed, egotism and narcissism that fuels the tech world . . . Even if you don''t agree with, say, his vitriolic takedowns of Uber and Airbnb, his sheer passion is likely to hold your interest."--Chicago Tribune"The Internet Is Not the Answer claims that the only real best friend today''s tech titans have is money, and until policymakers intervene, or until the ''digital elite'' adopt a more altruistic posture, the Internet will remain a winner-take-all marketplace that''s widening a yawning gulf between society''s haves and have-nots. . . . The Internet Is Not the Answer supports its convincing narrative with startling numbers and research cataloged over roughly forty pages worth of endnotes."--San Francisco Chronicle"The Internet Is Not the Answer returns to arguments that Mr. Keen has made in previous books, expanding the case for worries about privacy in the wake of the revelations of Edward Snowden . . . it makes a strident economic argument. . . . Unbridled techno-Utopianism shows only the revolution''s benefits, and is dangerously incomplete. It is handy, therefore, to have sceptics like Mr. Keen around."--Economist"[Keen] can be a telling polemicist and has a sharp eye when it comes to skewering the pretensions and self-delusions of the new digital establishment. . . . Keen has a sharp ear for the sanctimonious of tech happy talk." --Financial Times"[Keen is] the most famous British tech voice in the US."--GQ"Keen''s larger point stands: The tech world, like industrial capitalism before it, will not become sufficiently equitable unless we legislate it to be that way . . . So instead of waiting for technology to sort us out, Keen argues that it''s time to intervene--to manage digital developments in ways that increase rather than undermine human welfare."--Globe and Mail"The Internet Is Not the Answer is the most frightening book I''ve read in years (perhaps in my lifetime), as frightful as the conservative Supreme Court justices and the deniers of climate change. . . . Keen is unsparing of what he calls ''the libertarian elites'' who want to eliminate all oversight, all regulations, all concern for the safety of others. . . . I''d call him a prophet."--> CounterPunch"Silicon Valley entrepreneur Andrew Keen takes on the very institution that provides his living . . . Impassioned and insistent, this is a wake-up call worth considering."--Cleveland Plain Dealer"Andrew Keen has again shown himself one of the sharpest critics of Silicon Valley hype, greed, egotism, and inequity. His tales are revealing, his analyses biting. Beneath the criticism is a moral commitment, too, a defense of humane society--the right to be left alone, a fair shot at success, access to the doings of the powerful, and other democratic ideals threatened by the Internet and its moguls."--Mark Bauerlein, author of The Dumbest Generation"Keen provokes us in every sense of the word--at times maddening, more often thought-provoking, he lets just enough out of the Silicon Valley hot air balloon to start a real conversation about the full impact of digital technology. But will anyone accept the invitation? And, if they do, will anyone thank Andrew Keen for bursting our bubble? If so, maybe there''s hope for the digital generation after all."--Larry Downes, co-author of Unleashing the Killer App"A provocative title and an even more provocative book. Andrew Keen rightly challenges us to think about how the internet will shape society. I remain more optimistic, but hope I''m right to be so."--Mark Read, CEO, WPP Digital"Andrew Keen has done it again. With great authority he places modern Silicon Valley into a historical context, comparing its structure to the feudal system, which produced a wealthy elite from the efforts of myriad serfs. If you have read The Circle, this is your next read. Like me, you may find much to disagree with. But you won''t be able to put it down. This is a book that demands a reaction. The Valley will never be the same."--Keith Teare, co-founder of TechCrunch, Easynet and RealNames"Keen makes a deeply important argument and offers a constructive caution that there is no Moore''s Law for human progress, that technological determinism is not a good in itself, and that until we fuse technology with humanity the real power in the technology that connects will in many ways be to disconnect us from what matters."--Dov Seidman, CEO of LRN and author of How"For the past two decades, as we listened to a chorus of pundits tell us the Internet would generate more democracy and opportunity, the real world seems to grow more oppressive and unequal by the day. Drawing on his formidable knowledge of this New Economy, Andrew Keen explains why Uber could make billions destroying taxi unions, to cite just one example - and why some people still see this as progress. If you''ve ever wondered why the New Economy looks suspiciously like the Old Economy--only with even more for the winners and less for everyone else--put down your shiny new phablet and read this book."--Robert Levine, author of Free Ride"The argument travels between a beach in Mexico where the photo-sharing app Instagram was invented on a laptop and the boarded-up buildings in Rochester, N.Y., that memorialize the bankruptcy of Kodak. . . . [Keen] knows the digital world inside and out--both as an entrepreneur and as a journalistic commentator."--Christian Science Monitor"Keen goes among the Silicon Valley hipsters--those who truly believe they are on the verge of joining the one percent who own half the winner-takes-all economy--and he is not impressed."--New Scientist"Keen, himself a veteran of the tech industry, reveals the behind-the-scenes workings of the Internet . . . His best message, however, is that with consideration and the application of care we can still ss
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Keen (Digital Vertigo) presents an damning indictment of the Internet and digital technology, arguing that they have failed to deliver on their promises of fostering greater democracy and openness. Keen acknowledges that new technology is reshaping society but asserts, "It hasn't transformed the role of either power or wealth in the world." Instead, we're seeing "deepening inequality of wealth and opportunity." Keen points repeatedly to the Internet's destructive impact on jobs, noting that the private sector employs fewer and fewer people, even as profit levels rise; new technology companies are destroying jobs without creating new ones. And the Internet fosters voyeurism, narcissism, and misogyny; it enables unprecedented and untold information gathering and surveillance. Keen has a deep understanding of technology and concedes that "the Internet is not all bad." But he argues that the negatives outweigh the positives, and that the self-important Silicon Valley entrepreneurs of the 21st century "have much in common with the capitalist robber barons of the first industrial revolution." Though Keen misses several opportunities to genuinely, journalistically engage with the examples he draws, he offers a well-written, convincing critique of Silicon Valley, and a worthy read for anyone with an email account. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Keen wants you to know that the Internet has not lived up to its early promise. Rather than fostering an environment of intellectual and social democracy, it has spawned a rule-by-mob culture, promoted narcissism and voyeurism, encouraged intolerance and exclusivity, created global monopolies, increased unemployment, and decimated whole industries. The author seems downright bitter about the way corporate behemoths like Google and Amazon promote themselves as uncompanies, as zippy alternatives to old-world corporations. Make no mistake, this is an angry book, but Keen tempers his invective with cold, hard facts (Amazon's contribution to the upheaval in the publishing and retail sectors, for example). Is this a balanced look at the benefits and drawbacks of the Internet? No. There are books that provide that, but this one is designed to give people who think of the Internet as a sort of democratic digital paradise a hard dose of reality (or one interpretation of reality). Sure to be condemned by some for its seemingly one-sided approach, the book nevertheless clearly stakes out a position in the ongoing debate over what the digital age has wrought.--Pitt, David Copyright 2015 Booklist
Choice Review
It is a difficult situation to be fully in agreement with everything an author says in a book and still not feel that a solid argument was made. The Internet Is Not the Answer, written by Keen, a successful Silicon Valley insider and technology journalist, addresses the ways in which the Internet is leading people down the wrong path to the future, particularly in the context of job loss, the diminishing middle class, and the concentration of wealth. The book is mostly anecdotal, though the anecdotes are well annotated. The author asks some hard questions, but not many, and he does not explore them at a depth that would allow readers to think about interesting tangents, historical parallels, and hard answers. The book seemingly works from the assumption that the best choice is to preserve a no-longer-extant status quo rather than give deep thought on the challenge of moving forward. What it has to say is important, and it is an excellent snapshot of the current state of the IT industry. However, from a perspective of social commentary, Alice Marwick's Status Update (CH, May'14, 51-5062) might be a better choice. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. All levels/libraries. --Peter Lawrence Kantor, formerly, Southern Vermont College
Library Journal Review
Keen (Digital Vertigo; The Cult of the Amateur) argues that today's Internet business models have harmed society by ushering in a vastly unequal distribution of economic power and value. He contrasts the industry's early years-a result of government and academic research and featuring a lack of monetization-with its "disruptive" recent incarnation. He declares that the Internet became monetized-and detrimental to most of society-starting in the 1990s, roughly with the rise of the modern web browser and companies such as Amazon and eBay ("Web 1.0"). Today, Keen argues, users provide content to sites including Facebook and Instagram free of charge, while the companies sell our data to make billions of dollars for their handful of executives. These technology companies also have few employees compared to businesses that were subject to the models of the past. Keen acknowledges that the modern Internet is not all bad, but insists it can do better. He argues for more oversight and laws, such as France's "anti-Amazon" law that prohibits free shipping on discounted books. A well-written work, though topics sometimes appear disjointed. VERDICT A must-read for technophiles and business leaders, or those curious about technology's societal effects.-Leigh Mihlrad, FDIC Lib., Washington, DC (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
