ebooks The People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age by Astra Taylor in Arts-Photography

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From a cutting-edge cultural commentator; a bold and brilliant challenge to cherished notions of the Internet as the great leveler of our ageThe 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 modelmdash;the pressure to seek easy celebrity; to be quick and sensational above allmdash;have 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.