Life in the trenches of cyberspace by douglas rushkoff. Culture creators seize interactive distribution channels only to grow incapable. Hidden agendas in popular culture, playing the future. How the world became a corporation and how to take. His room knows everything he eats and what he needs for school. Mondo 2000 and wired, smart drugs and nicknames that warhols factory crew would have killed for, fractals and issues of electronic privacy, the electronic. Heres the unedited version only slightly different it takes a global village to enrich our local lives. Cyberia 1994 was cyberculture theorist douglas rushkoffs first book, written in 1992 and delayed because the publishers felt that email and the internet were not likely to become significant. Rushkoff s first book about digital culture, cyberia, was canceled by bantam in 1992 because they. The digital age will always be marked by the spirit of its first emergence. Journalist douglas rushkoff writes about a confluence of science, computer technology.
Tkc 352 douglas rushkoff may 2, 2015 author of present shock. Psychedelics break down ones basic assumptions about life, presenting them instead as. Well, i dont know if we have to reverse it as much as push through it. His new book, present shock, is his effort to describe.
It has been created for a wide variety of readersfrom high school to. Rushkoff presented his ideas about deconstructing digital and viral. Douglas rushkoff deplores how uber has hit the pockets of cab drivers. Oct 05, 2010 one of the keynote speakers at this years toc frankfurt, douglas rushkoff is a media theorist who has authored several books on the subject, including cyberia. This largely sympathetic report from the latest frontier will undoubtedly strike many older readers as outrageous, but others especially. He is best known for his association with the early cyberpunk culture, and his advocacy of open source solutions to social problems.
In the introduction to cyberia, rushkoff notes that in earlier eras, new. How growth became the enemy of prosperity, present shock, program or be programmed, media virus, and the novel ecstasy club. Thanks to technologies like the computer, the modem, interactive media, and the internet, we no longer depend on printed matter or word of mouth to explore the latest rages, innovations, or discoveries. Douglas i listened to your keynote presentation at the 7x7 conference and you stated something that surprised me. Douglas rushkoff is a professor of media culture at new york university and the author of several books on new media and popular culture. A whirlwind tour through the lens of various web subcultures, cyberia lay the philosophical foundation for. Oct 07, 1999 rushkoff, the media theorist who wrote cyberia and media virus, was an early champion of the net and the utopia it would create. At least, this was the message i took away from program or be programmed. Rushkoff takes a tom wolfe electric koolaid acid test style or roman a clef, as he actively becomes a part of the people and culture that he is writing about. Gristles terrible plots twicehe cant talk to animals, and he cant get at the heart of what makes them wild. Douglas rushkoff has written ten books on new media and popular culture including cyberia, media virus, playing the future, nothing sacred. Browse douglas rushkoffs bestselling audiobooks and newest titles.
Douglas rushkoff, in tracing the roots of corporatism from the renaissance to today, reveals the way it supplanted social interaction and local commerce and came to be regarded as a preexisting condition of our world, from the history of public relations to the relentless gentrification of americas urban neighborhoods. Douglas rushkoff author of program or be programmed. He is professor of media theory and digital economics at cunyqueens. Follow douglas rushkoff and explore their bibliography from s douglas rushkoff author page. Their stories are told in rushkoffs bookstories about computer hackers. Douglas rushkoff managed to snap a picture at the very crest of that wave, capturing the philosophies, personalities and chemistries that made it a moment of such. How the world became a corporation and how to take it back appeared on friday 31st july, in the independent newspaper. In this groundbreaking book, acclaimed media scholar and technology author douglas rushkoff calls on us to abandon the monopolist, winnertakesall values we are unwittingly embedding into the digital economy and to embrace the more distributed possibilities of these platforms. He is best known for his association with the early cyberpunk culture, and his advocacy of open source solutions to social problems rushkoff is most frequently regarded as a media theorist and is known for coining terms and concepts including viral. What we can learn from digital kids, open source democracy, and get back in the. Douglas mark rushkoff born february 18, 1961 is an american media theorist, writer.
Preface to the 1994 paperback edition a lot has happened in the year or so since i wrote this book. The book discusses many different ideas revolving around technology, drugs and subcultures. Feb 12, 2016 douglas rushkoff emerged as a media commentator in 1994 with his first book, cyberia. He doesnt ever have to leave his building to have exciting virtual experiences. As a media theorist, he has a lot of ideas about everything, and hed like to share them with you. Douglas rushkoff is a new yorkbased writer, columnist and lecturer on technology, media and popular culture douglas rushkoff is the author of present. Cyberia is about a very special moment in our recent history a moment when anything seemed possible. Their stories are told in rushkoff s book stories about computer hackers, psychedelic experimenters such as terence mckenna, new. When everything happens now as well as a dozen other bestselling books on media, technology, and culture, including program or be programmed, media virus, life inc and the novel ecstasy club. Now its easier to find great businesses with recommendations. Cyberia life in the trenches of hyperspace the cyberpunk project. In paperback with a new introduction by the author. Douglas rushkoff was one of 45 leading scholars, authors and. He has also written and presented two documentaries, the merchants of cool and the persuaders.
At the dawn of the internet douglas rushkoff wrote the book cyberia. This article orginally appeared in the times of london. This significant work adopts organic metaphors to show that media, like viruses, are mobile, easily duplicated and presented as nonthreatening. This week, geekdad is excited to present 5 exclusive excerpts from the book.
You talked about how in the past the artists were the ones that were the abnormal, the idea initiators. Cyberia, his first book on cyberculture, was inspired by the san francisco rave scene of. Life in the trenches of hyperspace by rushkoff, douglas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Zane lives a life of luxury in a completely wired world. Douglas rushkoff talks club zerog and breaking into comics. The book goes with rushkoff as he discusses topics ranging from online culture, the. Populist chronicler of cyberculture rushkoff cyberia, 1994, etc.
Terence mckenna, dubbed the copernicus of consciousness by the village voice, whose writings have spearheaded the psychedelic renaissance. Money circulated faster and spread wider through its communities of use than at any other time in economic history. From national book award nominee chris lynch zanes wired life is about to be unplugged. A year ago, we discussed the notion of be water, which is a state of mind and a spiritual status.
Ralph abraham, cyberia s village mathematician, a bearded technosage whose mathematical equations explain the shifting, hyperdimensional cyberian turf. Listen in on conversations with dozens of cyberians, including. The other books i wrote are information, theyre data and i create narrative. Ten commands for a digital age, a new book by douglas rushkoff. Present shock quotes by douglas rushkoff goodreads. When an entire subculture like a kid at a rave trying virtual reality for the first time saw the wild potentials of marrying the latest computer technologies with the most intimately held dreams and the most ancient spiritual truths. In the fifth lecture in evan korths nyu computers and society course featured author, thinker and professor douglas rushkoff. Comic fans may be familiar with the name of douglas rushkoff mainly through the accolades he receives from the creative community by writers such as grant morrison or joe casey or perhaps by his frequent appearances in diverse forms of media, but for those new to the name, douglas rushkoff is the author of a number of books examining media, pop culture and how we reflect and operate within.
His debut examined the early psychedelic, rave roots of digital technology. Cyberia has its obvious flaws in retrospect examples regarding the links between drug culture, hacking, the internet, and computers that have. The sxsw multimediainteractive festival is upon us, and naturally, the proceedings will feature many prominent writers as speakers. Douglas rushkoff audio books, best sellers, author bio audible. Cyberia is an ideasled, exuberant documentary written in 1994 about the converging strands of this new era, the empowerments of cybertechnology and the emergent hacker and cyber milieu. Cyberia 1994 was cyberculture theorist douglas rushkoff s first book, written in 1992 and delayed because the publishers felt that email and the internet were not likely to become significant. Its very hard for us to orient ourselves, he says, to look forward to. He posits that all media and technologies have biases that promote certain sets of behaviors over others.
He is the correspondent for frontlines the merchants of. In the past, rushkoff has been a cheerleader for the liberating potentialities of the internet and other interactive technology. His other books include cyberia, media virus, playing the future. Cyberia has its obvious flaws in retrospect examples regarding the links between drug culture, hacking, the internet, and computers that have since become wellknown or overdone. Nov 16, 2014 douglas rushkoff was one of 45 leading scholars, authors and activists who convened at the great hall of cooper union, new york city, on october 2526, 2014, for the public presentation.
Seth kushnerretna ltdcorbis douglas rushkoff emerged as a media commentator in 1994 with his first book, cyberia. It is also regarding the natural essence of something. Interviews douglas rushkoff merchants of cool frontline. When everything happens now, douglas rushkoff cautions against living in the perennial, virtual now. Cyberia is a book by douglas rushkoff, published in 1994. Rushkoffs first book about digital culture, cyberia, was canceled by bantam in 1992. Douglas mark rushkoff born february 18, 1961 is an american media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist, and documentarian. We shouldnt dismantle the web altogether, but rather build more interactive interfaces on top of it. Cyberia life in the trenches of cyberspace douglas rushkoff. Mar 21, 20 douglas rushkoff is a man ready to talk. From national book award nominee chris lynch, the third actionandhumorfilled futuristic series about talking pets who are tired of being pets.
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