The Internet is not the answer : why the Internet has been an economic, political and cultural disaster - and how it can be transformed

In this sharp and witty book, long-time Silicon Valley observer and author Andrew Keen argues that, on balance, the Internet has had a disastrous impact on all our lives. By tracing the history of the Internet, from its founding in the 1960s to the creation of the World Wide Web in 1989, through the waves of start-ups and the rise of the big data companies to the increasing attempts to monetize almost every human activity, Keen shows how the Web has had a deeply negative effect on our culture, economy and society. Informed by Keen's own research and interviews, as well as the work of other writers, reporters and academics, The Internet is Not the Answer is an urgent investigation into the tech world - from the threat to privacy posed by social media and online surveillance by government agencies, to the impact of the Internet on unemployment and economic inequality. Keen concludes by outlining the changes that he believes must be made, before it's too late. If we do nothing, he warns, this new technology and the companies that control it will continue to impoverish us all. Read more... Abstract: In this controversial new book, Andrew Keen argues that the Internet has had a disastrous impact on all our lives - and outlines what we must do to change it, before it's too late. Read more... "Since its creation during the Cold War, the Internet, together with the World Wide Web, personal computers, tablets, and smartphones, has ushered in the Digital Revolution, one of the greatest shifts in society since the Industrial Revolution. There are many positive ways in which the Internet has contributed to the world, but as a society we are less aware of the Internet's deeply negative effects. In 2007, Andrew Keen, a longtime Silicon Valley-based observer of the digital world and a serial Internet entrepreneur, published one of the first Internet-skeptic books, The Cult of the Amateur, which asked how quality content can be created in an online environment that demands everything for free. In Keen's new book, The Internet Is Not the Answer, he offers a comprehensive look at what the Internet is doing to our lives. The book traces the technological and economic history of the Internet, from its founding in the 1960s to the creation of the World Wide Web in 1989, through the waves of start-ups and the rise of the big data companies to the increasing attempts to monetize almost every human activity. Successful Internet companies have produced astronomical returns on investment, and venture capital and the profit motive have become the primary drivers of innovation. In this sharp, witty narrative, informed by the work of other writers, reporters, and recent academic studies as well as his own research and interviews, Keen shows us the tech world, warts and all--from hoodie-wearing misfit millionaires, to the NSA's all-encompassing online surveillance, to the impact of the Internet on unemployment and economic inequality. The Internet Is Not the Answer is a big-picture look at what the Internet is doing to our society and an investigation into what we can do to try to make sure that the decisions we are making about the reconfiguring of our world do not lead to unpleasant, unforeseen aftershocks"-- from publisher's web site The worldwide web is now a quarter of a century old. Invented in 1989, there can be no doubt that the web, and the new businesses it has enabled, has transformed the world. But, according to Andrew Keen, this disruption has been a terrible failure. In 'The internet is not the answer', Keen has written a sharp, witty polemic proving that, so far, the web has been mostly a disaster for everyone except a tiny group of young privileged white male Silicon Valley multi-millionaires. Rather than making us wealthier, the unregulated digital market is making us all poorer. Rather than generating jobs, it is causing unemployment. Rather than holding our rulers to account, it is creating a brightly lit, radically transparent prison in which everything we do is recorded. Rather than promoting democracy, it is empowering mob rule. And rather than fostering a new renaissance, it is encouraging a culture of distraction, vulgarity and narcissism. So what is to be done? The next twenty-five years are key, Keen explains, because, by 2040, everyone alive will be online. In 'The internet is not the answer', he disrupts the disrupters by laying out a five-part solution to the crisis.0He says we need to rethink the web, revive government authority, rebuild the value of content, resurrect privacy and, above all, reconceive humanity. The stakes couldn't be higher, he warns. If we do nothing at all, this new technology and the companies that control it will continue to impoverish us all The worldwide web is now a quarter of a century old. Invented in 1989, there can be no doubt that the web, and the new businesses it has enabled, has transformed the world. But, according to Andrew Keen, this disruption has been a terrible failure. In this book, Keen has written a sharp, witty polemic proving that, so far, the web has been mostly a disaster for everyone except a tiny group of young privileged white male Silicon Valley multi-millionaires. Rather than making us wealthier, the unregulated digital market is making us all poorer. Rather than generating jobs, it is causing unemployment. Rather than holding our rulers to account, it is creating a brightly lit, radically transparent prison in which everything we do is recorded. Rather than promoting democracy, it is empowering mob rule. And rather than fostering a new renaissance, it is encouraging a culture of distraction, vulgarity and narcissism. So what is to be done? The next twenty-five years are key, Keen explains, because, by 2040, everyone alive will be online. In The Internet is not the Answer, he disrupts the disrupters by laying out a five-part solution to the crisis. He says we need to rethink the web, revive government authority, rebuild the value of content, resurrect privacy and, above all, reconceive humanity. The stakes couldn't be higher, he warns. If we do nothing at all, this new technology and the companies that control it will continue to impoverish us all An Untruthful MirrorHello This is Us; Original Sin; 5. The Catastrophe of Abundance; The Narrow Stump; Business 0.02; The Catastrophe of Abundance; 6. The One Percent Economy; An Abundance of Stupidity; The One Percent Rule; The People Formerly Known as the Audience; Fashion 3.0; 7. Crystal Man; The Ministry of Surveillance; The Eyes of the Venetian; The Panopticon; Our Crystal Future; 8. Epic Fail; FailCon; The Real Failure; The Alien Overlord Spaceships; Class Warfare; Secession; Conclusion: The Answer; The Fancy-Dress Affair; Disrupting the Disruptors; The Medium is not the Message Cover; Title Page; Copyright page; Dedication page; Contents; Preface: The Question; Introduction: The Building is the Message; 1. The Network; Networked Society; Forebears; From Sputnik to the ARPANET; The Internet; The World Wide Web; 2. The Money; The One Percent Economy; Monetization; The Winner-Take-All Network; The Code is Cracked; Data Factories; The Cult of the Social; Distributed Capitalism; 3. The Broken Center; The Future; Coming to an Office Near You; The Writing on the Wall; The Broken Center; You Better Watch Out; 4. The Personal Revolution; The Instagram Moment