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An original deep history of the internet that tells the story of the centuries-old utopian dreams behind it--and explains why they have died today
Many think of the internet as an unprecedented and overwhelmingly positive achievement of modern human technology. But is it? In The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is, Justin Smith offers an original deep history of the internet, from the ancient to the modern world--uncovering its surprising origins in nature and centuries-old dreams of radically improving human life by outsourcing thinking to machines and communicating across vast distances. Yet, despite the internet's continuing potential, Smith argues, the utopian hopes behind it have finally died today, killed by the harsh realities of social media, the global information economy, and the attention-destroying nature of networked technology.
Ranging over centuries of the history and philosophy of science and technology, Smith shows how the "internet" has been with us much longer than we usually think. He draws fascinating connections between internet user experience, artificial intelligence, the invention of the printing press, communication between trees, and the origins of computing in the machine-driven looms of the silk industry. At the same time, he reveals how the internet's organic structure and development root it in the natural world in unexpected ways that challenge efforts to draw an easy line between technology and nature.
Combining the sweep of intellectual history with the incisiveness of philosophy, The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is cuts through our daily digital lives to give a clear-sighted picture of what the internet is, where it came from, and where it might be taking us in the coming decades.
"In The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is, the philosopher Justin Smith looks to the past to explain both the Internet’s true antiquity and its unparalleled capacity to distract, consume, and transform its users."
#Podcasts At The Intersection Of #Technology #Cybersecurity #Society. Join us on our journey as we explore the relationship between technology & humanity🎙🌏🚀✨
#ICYMI 🎙✨ Book | The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is: A History, A Philosophy, A Warning Redefining Technology [@ITSP_Technology] on @ITSPmagazine with Professor Justin E. H. Smith @jehsmith 👇 https://t.co/reB7EtJK8C
Princeton University Press is a leading independent publisher of trade and scholarly books, inspiring brilliant conversations with bold ideas.
.@ConorPPurcell interviewed PUP author Justin E.H. Smith about his latest book, The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is, for the @IrishTimes. Read the full Q&A: https://t.co/PRWL5t9G52 #PhilosophyTwitter #SocialMedia #TikTok https://t.co/z2PVMtVupF
An accessible philosophy of the internet, taking stock along the way of the faults and dangers resulting from the internet's invasion into people's lives. Whatever one's preconceptions about the internet, Smith makes a convincing case that the internet is something more than what one might have thought.
"-- "Choice"