Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2016-07-14
Books mentioned on 253. Is the Internet Being Ruined?
It's a remarkable ecosystem that allows each of us to exercise control over our lives. But how much control do we truly have?
Stephen Dubner discussed Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and How Not to Network a Nation by Benjamin Peters. Yochai Benkler discussed 1984 by George Orwell.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a dystopian classic that envisions a technologically advanced future society dominated by conformity, engineered happiness, and superficial distractions.
Discussed“We're not talking about Big Brother, 1984, and All the Misery. We're talking about something that's much more like Brave New World, and we are pretty happy on the whole day today.”
Where to get it
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How Not to Network a Nation
Discussed“Here, let me read you a brief passage from a book called How Not to Network a Nation, The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet, by Benjamin Peters.”
Where to get it
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1984
1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel that explores totalitarianism, surveillance, state control, and the manipulation of truth.
Discussed“We're not talking about Big Brother 1984 and all the misery. We're talking about something that's much more like Brave New World. And we are pretty happy on the whole day to day.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing 1984
“We're not talking about Big Brother, 1984, and All the Misery. We're talking about something that's much more like Brave New World, and we are pretty happy on the whole day today.”
Passing How Not to Network a Nation
“Also, thanks to Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution for bringing to our attention Benjamin Peters' book, How Not to Network a Nation, The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet.”