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Future Histories
What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology
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Future Histories
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
How can we use digital technology for the common good?
How can we use digital technology for the common good?
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
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Description
The key to understanding technology lies not in the future—but in the past. That's the contention of Lizzie O'Shea's Future Histories, a grand tour through past and present to explore the practical—and sometimes revolutionary—possibilities of our digital age.
Searching for new ways to think about our networked world, O'Shea asks what the Paris Commune can tell us about the ethics of the Internet and finds inspiration in the revolutionary works of Thomas Paine and Frantz Fanon. She examines Elon Musk's futuristic visions only to find them mired in a musty Victorian-era utopianism.
Instead of current-day capitalist visionaries, O'Shea returns us to the Romantic age of wonder, when art and science were as yet undivided, narrating the collaboration between Ada Lovelace—the brilliant daughter of Lord and Lady Byron—and polymath Charles Babbage, who together designed the world's first computer.
In our brave new world of increased surveillance, biased algorithms, and fears of job automation, O'Shea weaves a usable past we can employ in the service of emancipating our digital tomorrows.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
*i>Future Histories by Lizzie O'Shea is praised for its incisive critique of platform capitalism and digital surveillance, blending historical insight with contemporary tech analysis. Scott Ludlam and others commend O'Shea for using her diverse expertise to argue for a more equitable digital future. Claire L. Evans highlights the book's radical perspective as essential reading for those looking to mend the current tech landscape, while Peter Whittaker notes its unique combination of technological exploration and advocacy for social reform. Lizzie O'Shea empowers readers to reclaim control from tech giants by learning from historical figures and movements.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781788734318
Publisher: Verso Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 17 August 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Verso Books
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 23.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 287g
Pages: 352
About the Author
Lizzie O'Shea is a lawyer, writer, and broadcaster, and has worked on many significant cases advancing human rights and social justice in Australia. Lizzie is regularly featured on national television programs and radio to comment on law, digital technology, corporate responsibility, and human rights, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, and the Sydney Morning Herald.
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