Mentioned in Podcasts

Episode · Big Technology Podcast · 2020-10-07

Alex Kantrowitz & Tristan Harris: books mentioned on Big Technology Podcast

Netflix's 'Social Dilemma' Star Tristan Harris on the Film and Its Criticisms

3 books · With Tristan Harris · Listen

You won’t find a more controversial film in Silicon Valley than The Social Dilemma. The film, now available on Netflix, features confessions from early consumer internet employees who rue the destruction their inventions have wrought.

Tristan Harris discussed Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.

Books mentioned, in the order they came up

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  1. Bowling Alone

    Robert D. Putnam · at 17:06

    Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam is a seminal sociological study that examines the dramatic decline of social capital, community organizations, and civic engagement in American society over the latter half of the twentieth century.

    Discussed
    “the trend towards loneliness and isolated atomized individuality, you know, per the book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam and these trends, you know, the elimination of shared spaces and public space”
    Tristan Harris Netflix's 'Social Dilemma' Star Tristan Harris on the Film and Its Cri… 2020-10-07
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  2. Brave New World

    Aldous Huxley · at 53:52

    Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is a classic dystopian novel that depicts a futuristic society shaped by advanced technology, consumerism, and engineered societal stability at the expense of individual freedom and authentic human emotion.

    Discussed
    “And this is where I think Aldous Huxley's book, Brave New World, or, you know, Postman's book, Amusing Ourselves to Death is really about”
    Tristan Harris Netflix's 'Social Dilemma' Star Tristan Harris on the Film and Its Cri… 2020-10-07
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  3. Amusing Ourselves to Death

    Neil Postman · at 53:52

    Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman is a seminal media theory book arguing that television and modern entertainment culture degrade serious public discourse into superficial amusement.

    Discussed
    “And this is where I think Aldous Huxley's book, Brave New World, or, you know, Postman's book, Amusing Ourselves to Death is really about”
    Tristan Harris Netflix's 'Social Dilemma' Star Tristan Harris on the Film and Its Cri… 2020-10-07
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon
Link to this list from the episode’s show notes

For the whole show, see the Big Technology Podcast page.