The People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age

About this book

From a cutting-edge cultural commentator a bold and brilliant challenge to cherished notions of the Internet as the great leveler of our age The Internet has been hailed as an unprecedented democratizing force a place where everyone can be heard and all can participate equally. But how true is this claim? In a seminal dismantling of techno-utopian visions The Peoples Platform argues that for all that we "tweet" and "like" and "share " the Internet in fact reflects and amplifies real-world inequities at least as much as it ameliorates them. Online just as off-line attention and influence largely accrue to those who already have plenty of both. What we have seen so far Astra Taylor says has been not a revolution but a rearrangement. Although Silicon Valley tycoons have eclipsed Hollywood moguls a handful of giants like Amazon Apple Google and Facebook remain the gatekeepers. And the worst habits of the old media modelthe pressure to seek easy celebrity to be quick and sensational above allhave proliferated on the web where "aggregating" the work of others is the surest way to attract eyeballs and ad revenue. When culture is "free " creative work has diminishing value and advertising fuels the system. The new order looks suspiciously like the old one. We can do better Taylor insists. The online world does offer a unique opportunity but a democratic culture that supports diverse voices and work of lasting value will not spring up from technology alone. If we want the Internet to truly be a peoples platform we will have to make it so.