Andrew Keen Books

In this controversial book, Andrew Keen argues that the Internet has had a disastrous impact on all out lives - and outlines what we must do to change it, before it's too late.

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

In a collection of 18 exclusive interviews Andrew Keen discusses the impact of the digital revolution and possible solutions to the challenges we face today with some of the most influential thinkers of our time.

From the highly acclaimed author of The Internet Is Not the Answer, How to Fix the Future is a compelling new book that showcases global solutions for our digital predicament. Following the Industrial Revolution, civilized societies remade nineteenth-century capitalism into a more humane version of itself, and Keen shows how we can do the same in the wake of the Digital Revolution.As consensus builds around the importance of making sure the Internet remains a force for good, we need a road map of what actions we can take to ensure that the Internet works for us, and not the other way around. Keen identifies five broad strategies to tackle the digital future: competitive innovation, government regulation, consumer choice, social responsibility by business leaders, and education. Traveling the world in order to identify best (and worst) practices in these five areas, Keen moves from Estonia, where tech giants are forming a model for Internet governance, to Germany, whose automobile titans are navigating the future of self-driving cars, to Scandinavia, Korea, and, of course, Silicon Valley. Powerfully argued and deeply engaging, How to Fix the Future provides hope that the future may yet become something that we can look forward to.

Andrew Keen has been described as 'the Christopher Hitchens of the internet'. His provocative new book describes his urgent worldwide search for ways in which humanity can protect itself from the dark side of the digital future.

In a provocative polemic, Silicon Valley insider Andrew Keen exposes the dire consequences of today's participatory Web 2.0, revealing how it threatens our values, economy, and the innovation that underpins American achievement. He warns that our most valued cultural institutions—newspapers, magazines, music, and movies—are being overwhelmed by an influx of amateur, user-generated content. Advertising revenue is diverted to free classified ads on platforms like Craigslist, while television networks face competition from user-generated programming on sites like YouTube. The music industry is devastated by file-sharing and digital piracy, jeopardizing its future. Keen argues that our 'cut-and-paste' online culture undermines over 200 years of copyright protection, robbing creators of their work's value. In a self-broadcasting culture where anyone can publish opinions, the line between expert and amateur blurs dangerously. Anonymous bloggers and videographers, free from professional standards, can distort public debate and manipulate opinions, commodifying truth. The anonymity of Web 2.0 raises concerns about the reliability of information and allows predators to thrive. While Keen, a pioneer of Internet startups, is not anti-technology, he urges us to consider the implications of a culture that promotes plagiarism and piracy, weakening traditional media. He offers concrete solutions to mitigate the narcissistic atmosphere of the