Book description
"Unlike most commentators, Andrew Keen observes the internet
as if from a distance. "Digital Vertigo" may be one of the
few books on the subject that, twenty years from now, will be seen to
have got it right. Neither blinkered advocate nor hardened cynic, he
identifies the good and the bad with a rare human and historical
perspective. "--Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP "Andrew Keen
has found the off switch for Silicon Valley's reality distortion
field. With a cold eye and a cutting wit, he reveals the grandiose
claims of our new digital plutocrats to be little more than
self-serving cant. "Digital Vertigo" provides a timely and
welcome reminder that having substance is more important than being
transparent."--Nicholas Carr, author of "The Shallows: What
the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains" "Andrew Keen is that
rarest of authors: one has taken the time to understand the benefits
of technological innovation before warning us of its risks. In
"Digital Vertigo" Keen finds himself in a dizzying world
where it is not just possible to share every detail of our
professional and private lives, but actually expected. While a growing
number of his friends -- including those in the upper echelons of
Silicon Valley society -- preach the gospel of total transparency and
cyber-oversharing, he refuses to blindly click the "accept"
button. Instead he takes us on a guided tour of the history of
privacy, solitude and the technology of socialization -- before
encouraging us to take a long, hard look at our lives before we
blindly allow others to do the same. A vital and timely book that's
terrifying, fascinating, persuasive and reassuring all at the same
time. And one that will make even the biggest Facebook-o-phile or
Linked-in-a-holic think twice before adding another contact to their
network."--Paul Carr, author of "Bringing Nothing to the
Party "and "The Upgrade"
