Douglas Rushkoff on his book, Program or Be Programmed
Audio here!
**UPDATE** During my interview with Douglas, I mention that I heard one of the parties involved in the allegations of rape against Julian Assange had “backed out” of the investigation. That was my misinterpretation of the timeline of the Assange investigation, during which the initial prosecutor dropped the rape charges. Another prosecutor later overturned that decision. I apologize for contributing to misinformation regarding this important investigation.
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The debate over whether the Net is good or bad for us fills the airwaves and the blogosphere. But for all the heat of claim and counter-claim, the argument is essentially beside the point: it’s here; it’s everywhere. The real question is, do we direct technology, or do we let ourselves be directed by it and those who have mastered it?
“Choose the former,” writes Rushkoff, “and you gain access to the control panel of civilization. Choose the latter, and it could be the last real choice you get to make.”
Michael O’Neil talks with Douglas Rushkoff this Saturday on Equal Time for Freethought at 3:00 pm!
Mr. Rushkoff is an author, teacher, and documentarian who focuses on the ways people, cultures, and institutions create, share, and influence each other’s values. He teaches media studies at NYU and the New School University, serves as technology columnist for The Daily Beast, and lectures around the world. His books include Media Virus, Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism, Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out, Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back, and just out, Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age.