A deep dive into one of this century's most potent questions: do we direct technology, or do we let ourselves be directed by it?
This compact new edition of a paradigmatic text packs a big and
actionable punch. Updated with a new section on the unique challenges
posed by AI, Program or Be Programmed presents a spirited,
accessible poetics of new media. On these pages (and screens), Rushkoff
picks up where Marshall McLuhan left off, helping readers recognize
programming as the new literacy of the digital age.
The debate over whether the internet is good or bad for us fills the
airwaves and the blogosphere. But for all the heat of claim and
counter-claim, the argument is essentially beside the point: it’s here;
it’s everywhere. The real question is, do we direct technology, or do we
let ourselves be directed by it and those who have mastered it? “Choose
the former,” writes Rushkoff, “and you gain access to the control panel
of civilization. Choose the latter, and it could be the last real
choice you get to make.” In eleven “commands,” Rushkoff provides
cyberenthusiasts and technophobes alike with the guidelines to navigate
this new universe.
“Read this before and after you Tweet, Facebook, email or YouTube.” —Howard Rheingold
“Douglas Rushkoff is one of the great thinkers—and writers—of our time.” —Timothy Leary
Spirited and accessible book: Rushkoff helps readers recognize programming as the new literacy of the digital age—and
as a template through which to see beyond social conventions and power
structures that have vexed us for centuries. This is a friendly little
book with a big and actionable message.
Author profile: World-renowned media theorist and
counterculture figure Douglas Rushkoff is the originator of ideas such
as “viral media,” “social currency” and “screenagers.” He has been at
the forefront of digital society from its beginning, correctly
predicting the rise of the internet, the dotcom boom and bust.
