“Our opinions and beliefs, what we hold to be true and what we think is right and wrong have all become strategic objectives… Each of us has been brought – face-to-face – to a new front line.”
The (very readable) Death of the Gods by Carl Miller is a whirlwind overview of the biggest Big Tech trends shaping our (near) future.
The book focuses on the new nexus of power, both existing and emerging, in the always-on Internet age, as well as the threats and opportunities these “new gods” pose to us, the citizens of the world.
I learned a few things about a few things, including:
The Bellingcat Investigation Team (a “cleaner” version of Wikileaks focused on virtual investigations rather than leaks)
VTaiwan (an alternative to democracy as we know it)
The 77th Brigade (the UK’s “trolling task force”)
Hikikomori (the epidemic of “disappeared” young Japanese and South Koreans)
And, just how easy it is to become a DIY ransomeware hacker, using cheap off-the shelf software – that comes with its own always-on live help desk and convenient auto-prompt boxes to help you compose and send the most effective ransom letter to your luckless victims. (Sorry, no link here, I don’t want to tempt any of you to start your own “get rich quick from home” business.)
Definitely worth a read.