How to Fix the Future

Introduction: we've been here before -- More's Law -- Five tools for fixing the future -- What is broken -- Utopia: a case study (book one) -- Utopia: a case study (book two) -- Regulation -- Competitive innovation -- Civic responsibility -- Labor and consumer power -- Education -- Conclusion.;"Humanity has in the past undergone periods of creative destruction where improvements of social and economic conditions have come with harmful side effects. But, as Keen points out, we have ways to fix the problems we are facing now. He identifies five key tools: competitive innovation, consumer choice, regulation, social responsibility, and education. Keen travels the world to see how experts, innovators, and entrepreneurs are using these tools to make positive change. Keen's journey takes him to Estonia, where an online portal has been developed to allow Estonians to see the data collected on them by the government, and Where an "e-residency" program is projected to bring 10 million e-citizens to the small Baltic state by 2025. Keen travels to Germany, where both regulation and competitive innovation are being used to address problems: Hamburg's data commissioner successfully blocked Facebook from collecting data on the country's users of WhatsApp, and developers of software such as Adblock Plus are helping ensure that advertising does not become the sole raison d'être for the Internet. In India, Keen speaks to a young entrepreneur who is building a new data ID system as part of the government's "Rebooting India" program--quite a task in a country of 1.3 billion people. And Keen of course travels to Silicon Valley, where he finds a growing understanding that the pioneering tech entrepreneurs who have harvested unimaginable wealth from their innovations must become better citizens and help solve some of the problems they have created in the same way a previous generation of philanthropists--the Mellons, Carnegies, and Rockefellers--did. Powerful, urgent, and deeply engaging, How to Fix the Future shows how we might preserve human values in an increasingly digital world and the steps we must take as societies and individuals to make the future something we can again look forward to."--Dust jacket.;A leading Internet commentator showcases global solutions for preserving the fundamentals of humanity and civilized society in an increasingly perilous digital world. A Leading Internet Commentator Showcases Global Solutions For Preserving The Fundamentals Of Humanity And Civilized Society In An Increasingly Perilous Digital World. Humanity Has In The Past Undergone Periods Of Creative Destruction Where Improvements Of Social And Economic Conditions Have Come With Harmful Side Effects. But, As Keen Points Out, We Have Ways To Fix The Problems We Are Facing Now. He Identifies Five Key Tools: Competitive Innovation, Consumer Choice, Regulation, Social Responsibility, And Education. Keen Travels The World To See How Experts, Innovators, And Entrepreneurs Are Using These Tools To Make Positive Change. Keen's Journey Takes Him To Estonia, Where An Online Portal Has Been Developed To Allow Estonians To See The Data Collected On Them By The Government, And Where An E-residency Program Is Projected To Bring 10 Million E-citizens To The Small Baltic State By 2025. Keen Travels To Germany, Where Both Regulation And Competitive Innovation Are Being Used To Address Problems: Hamburg's Data Commissioner Successfully Blocked Facebook From Collecting Data On The Country's Users Of Whatsapp, And Developers Of Software Such As Adblock Plus Are Helping Ensure That Advertising Does Not Become The Sole Raison D'être For The Internet. In India, Keen Speaks To A Young Entrepreneur Who Is Building A New Data Id System As Part Of The Government's Rebooting India Program--quite A Task In A Country Of 1.3 Billion People. And Keen Of Course Travels To Silicon Valley, Where He Finds A Growing Understanding That The Pioneering Tech Entrepreneurs Who Have Harvested Unimaginable Wealth From Their Innovations Must Become Better Citizens And Help Solve Some Of The Problems They Have Created In The Same Way A Previous Generation Of Philanthropists--the Mellons, Carnegies, And Rockefellers--did. Powerful, Urgent, And Deeply Engaging, How To Fix The Future Shows How We Might Preserve Human Values In An Increasingly Digital World And The Steps We Must Take As Societies And Individuals To Make The Future Something We Can Again Look Forward To.--dust Jacket. Preface: An Internet Of People -- Introduction: We've Been Here Before -- More's Law -- Five Tools For Fixing The Future -- What Is Broken -- Utopia: A Case Study (book One) -- Utopia: A Case Study (book Two) -- Regulation -- Competitive Innovation -- Civic Responsibility -- Worker And Consumer Choice -- Education -- Conclusion: Our Kids. Andrew Keen. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 297-317) And Index. Former Internet entrepreneur Andrew Keen was among the earliest to write about the dangers that the Internet poses to our culture and society. His 2007 book The Cult of the Amateur was critical in helping advance the conversation around the Internet, which has now morphed from a tool providing efficiencies and opportunities for consumers and business to an elemental force that is profoundly reshaping our societies and our world. In his new book, How to Fix the Future , Keen focuses on what we can do about this seemingly intractable situation. Looking to the past to learn how we might change our future, he describes how societies tamed the excesses of the Industrial Revolution, which, like its digital counterpart, demolished long-standing models of living, ruined harmonious environments, and altered the business world beyond recognition. Traveling the world to interview experts in a wide variety of fields, from EU Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager, whose recent 2.4 billion fine to Google made headlines around the world, to successful venture capitalists who nonetheless see the tide turning, to CEOs of companies including The New York Times , Keen unearths approaches to tackling our digital future. There are five key tools that Keen regulation, competitive innovation, social responsibility, worker and consumer choice, and education. His journey to discover how these tools are being put into practice around the globe takes him from digital-oriented Estonia, where Skype was founded and where every citizen can access whatever data the government holds on them by logging in to an online database, and where a e-residency program allows the country to expand beyond its narrow borders, to Singapore, where a large part of the higher education sector consists in professional courses in coding and website design, to India, Germany, China, Russia, and, of course, Silicon Valley. Powerful, urgent, and deeply engaging, How to Fix the Future vividly depicts what we must do if we are to try to preserve human values in an increasingly digital world and what steps we might take as societies and individuals to make the future something we can again look forward to. From data breaches to disinformation, a look at the digital revolution’s collateral damage with “practical solutions to a wide-range of tech-related woes” ( TechCrunch ). In this book, a Silicon Valley veteran travels around the world and interviews important decision-makers to paint a picture of how tech has changed our lives—for better and for worse—and what steps we might take, as societies and individuals, to make the future something we can once again look forward to. “A truly important book and the most significant work so far in an emerging body of literature in which technology’s smartest thinkers are raising alarm bells about the state of the Internet, and laying groundwork for how to fix it.”? Fortune “After years of giddiness about the wonders of technology, a new realization is dawning: the future is broken. Andrew Keen was among the first and most insightful to see it. The combination of the digital revolution, global hyperconnectivity, and economic dysfunction has led to a populist backlash and destruction of civil discourse. In this bracing book, Keen offers tools for righting our societies and principles to guide us in the future.”?Walter Isaacson, New York Times -bestselling author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo Da Vinci “Comparing our current situation to the Industrial Revolution, he stresses the importance of keeping humanity at the center of technology.”? Booklist “Valuable insights on preserving our humanity in a digital world.”? Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Humanity has in the past undergone periods of creative destruction where improvements of social and economic conditions have come with harmful side effects. Keen identified five key tools: competitive innovation, consumer choice, regulation, social responsibility, and education, and then traveled the world to see how data commissioners, software developers, entrepreneurs and more are using these tools to make positive change. In an increasingly digital world, we must take steps to make the future something we can again look forward to