Neil Postman on Cyberspace (1995) [video](youtube.com)
youtube.com
Neil Postman on Cyberspace (1995) [video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49rcVQ1vFAY
9 comments
I had heard of his book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and know its synopsis. But man, this guy is a visionary. I should maybe actually read the book.
i recommend it, it’s a great read. Fascinating to hear how literate US society was 100 years ago
I remember finding it really interesting when I read it in college (2002ish). Still think about it occasionally.
It's good and it's short. If you have audible you can listen to it for free.
It's a 1985 book like it was written yesterday. Another great interview on the Cultural Farming project: http://www.culturalfarming.com/Ethnography/Neil_Postman.html
If you can parse out his crimes, you might like Ted Kaczynski's work. There's a fair bit of crossover with respect to technology.
In this quarantine period, I have been learning about Jacques Ellul and Durkheim and Max Weber's views on technology (and many others). Kaczynski has already passed my radar, but I am going to actively ignore what Kaczynski wrote, thought or said because of what he did.
This is fascinating, in that it is from 25 years ago, but his insights would sound fresh and relevant today. 25 years may not sound like a long time, but it is in Internet years. And I often hear people bringing up weakly articulated versions of these points today as if they are new ideas.
Postman's Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change is a great quick read: https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/materials/po...