276 pages
English language
Published Nov. 19, 2014 by Metropolitan Books.
From a cutting-edge cultural commentator and documentary filmmaker, this work is a bold and brilliant challenge to cherished notions of the Internet as the great democratizing force of our age. The Internet has been hailed as a place where all can be heard and everyone can participate equally. But how true is this claim? In this seminal dismantling of techno-utopian visions, the author argues that for all that we "tweet" and "like" and "share," the Internet in fact reflects and amplifies real-world inequities at least as much as it ameliorates them. Online, just as off-line, attention and influence largely accrue to those who already have plenty of both. What we have seen so far, she says, has been not a revolution but a rearrangement. Silicon Valley tycoons now coexist with Hollywood moguls; a handful of giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook remain the gatekeepers. And the worst habits of …
From a cutting-edge cultural commentator and documentary filmmaker, this work is a bold and brilliant challenge to cherished notions of the Internet as the great democratizing force of our age. The Internet has been hailed as a place where all can be heard and everyone can participate equally. But how true is this claim? In this seminal dismantling of techno-utopian visions, the author argues that for all that we "tweet" and "like" and "share," the Internet in fact reflects and amplifies real-world inequities at least as much as it ameliorates them. Online, just as off-line, attention and influence largely accrue to those who already have plenty of both. What we have seen so far, she says, has been not a revolution but a rearrangement. Silicon Valley tycoons now coexist with Hollywood moguls; a handful of giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook remain the gatekeepers. And the worst habits of the old media model, the pressure to seek easy celebrity, to be quick and sensational above all, have proliferated online, where "aggregating" the work of others is the surest way to attract eyeballs and ad revenue. When culture is "free," creative work has diminishing value and advertising fuels the system. The new order looks suspiciously like the old one. We can do better, the author insists. The online world does offer an unprecedented opportunity, but a democratic culture that supports diverse voices, work of lasting value, and equitable business practices will not appear as a consequence of technology alone. If we want the Internet to truly be a people's platform, we will have to make it so.-- Publisher information.
I love this book and all of Astra Taylor’s writings. She’s a great columnist for the baffler. Totally righteous take On the possibilities the Internet allows and the way they’ve been hijacked by capitalism and social media. A bit dated at this point but still great.
Every major advance in 20th century communications technology brought a promise of mass education, and popular control. Radio was to bring a School of the Air; trade unions owned radio stations to organize and educate on the public airwaves. It wound up being a terrific way to sell soap. Television brought Broadway to the masses, and ended up a vast wasteland. Cable was to bring public access and a low barrier to entry to create new networks dedicated to the public good. We know how that turned out. And now, the Internet.
Astra Taylor does a good job of explaining how the Internet has so much promise to democratize media and give artists, musicians and writers new ways of reaching the public, but wonders what the price of that access will be. When filmmakers like herself are encouraged to distribute their work for free ('it's good exposure," is the cry), …
Every major advance in 20th century communications technology brought a promise of mass education, and popular control. Radio was to bring a School of the Air; trade unions owned radio stations to organize and educate on the public airwaves. It wound up being a terrific way to sell soap. Television brought Broadway to the masses, and ended up a vast wasteland. Cable was to bring public access and a low barrier to entry to create new networks dedicated to the public good. We know how that turned out. And now, the Internet.
Astra Taylor does a good job of explaining how the Internet has so much promise to democratize media and give artists, musicians and writers new ways of reaching the public, but wonders what the price of that access will be. When filmmakers like herself are encouraged to distribute their work for free ('it's good exposure," is the cry), you wonder whether we're creating more starving artists in the new century.
Taylor is solid in describing how the big corporations (old and new media) have again gained the upper hand in the battle for control of the Internet. Where she fails is in her offer as a solution. Her Manifesto for Sustainable Culture is more about allowing creatives the right to make a living (nothing wrong with that, BTW), less about "taking back power." That was disappointing to me
