Tag: politics

Divide and rule: the dark side of parallel digital cultures

By Adam Tinworth

The internet can seduce us into like-minded bubbles of people like us. But isolate communities can be easily influenced, and turned down a darker path…
The digital is inescapably political: it’s time to accept that

By Adam Tinworth

The digital evangelists of the 1990s saw cyberspace as a haven safe from the politics of the "real" world. They could not have been more wrong — and we're still paying for their mistake.
The right things to do

By Martin Recke

Doing the right things implies that we know what the right things are. Overwhelming complexity makes this a challenge.
Fragmentation and the cycles of hysteria

By Martin Recke

Tech amplifies both globalisation and fragmentation, thus putting politics and the nation state under pressure. We need a better understanding of politics.
Digital’s easy scale has proven to be ruinously expensive

By Adam Tinworth

The digital unicorns have been enjoying the lucrative advantages of worldwide scale — without paying the price. But there are others costs, that might be even more expensive…
Warren’s plan to break up the tech companies is the beginning of a mature conversation about tech

By Adam Tinworth

The would-be Democratic Party candidate for US President used SXSW to promote her vision of reigning in big tech. And we should be welcoming this discussion, not running scared of it.
We’re trapped in a toxic cycle of fragmentation and centralisation

By Adam Tinworth

Fragmentation is getting a really bad press, right now. There are some good reasons for that.
After the fall: as Facebook’s image collapses, what can we learn for the products we build next?

By Adam Tinworth

Facebook had a torrid week — and deservedly so. What can the next wave of digital products learn from its mistakes, to avoid falling into the same traps?
Will Facebook give Nick Clegg the power it needs to reinvigorate its public image?

By Adam Tinworth

The easiest way for Facebook to avoid regulation and legislative intervention would be to become the sort of company that doesn’t need it. That’s just not going to happen with the current Facebook power structure. Zuckerberg rules as an autocrat, with Sandberg as his enforcer.
Amongst SXSW 2018’s parties, there’s serious work to be done

By Adam Tinworth

Today, one of the world’s longest-running festivals of technology and digital culture kicks off – SXSW Interactive…
Is the dream of the good digital citizen dead?

By Adam Tinworth

A little more local organising, a little less polarised ranting on the international stage might be exactly the digital fix we need to today’s political woes. In this, perhaps we can start learning from our children.
2018: The Year of Tech Consequences

By Adam Tinworth

The era of idealistic tech dreaming is over. In 2018 it will clash with the hard reality of legislation and politics. Will we all lose?
Can Germany crack the problem of regulating Facebook?

By Adam Tinworth

Around the world, attention is turning to cracking down on the power of Facebook. But can gErman lead the way, without turning it into a tool of oppression?
Jamie Bartlett: The outsiders changing the world

By Adam Tinworth

Radicals and insurgents are often laughted at or ignored. But their narratives can be compelling - and change the way poltics operates.
Making sure AI boosts jobs, not destroys them

By Adam Tinworth

Can we make sure AI boosts the job market, rather than destroying it? An article argue we can…
Digital sucks – because too many politicians don’t understand it.

By Adam Tinworth

Digital sucks - and governments want to regulate it. But there are sane approaches to that regulation - and dangerous ones.
Trump: the tech transition

By Adam Tinworth

The presidential transition in the US has been mirrored by tech transition in the background, as social media accounts change hands. But not all went well…
2017 predictions: Machine learning, voice interfaces and the politics of algorithms

By Adam Tinworth

What will 2017 hold for the tech industry? Here are our guesses…
2016: a year of digital growing pains

By Adam Tinworth

2016 has been quite a year. While we like to look at what's coming NEXT, sometimes it's appropriate to take a look back at the year that's finishing…
The Twitter Town: local politics via social media in Spain

By Adam Tinworth

The town of Jun in southern Spain has been working with MIT to bring local civic services to the people - by Twitter
The sharing economy hits the political mainstream

By Adam Tinworth

The UK's ruling Conservative party are looking at ways of exploiting the sharing economy, typified by Airbnb, for the good of the wider economy…
Thomas de Maizière: making Germany the centre of digital Europe

By Adam Tinworth

Thomas de Maizière, Federal Minister of the Interior in Germany outline's the government's vision of digital Germany in the post-Snowdon world.
Preparing for the New Normal (Opening Session)

By Adam Tinworth

Talks from Nils Wollny and Brigitte Zypries explore the future of culture - and the German economy.
Your Festive Reading List

By Adam Tinworth

Six stories to get you back into the swing of the digital business after Christmas indulgence…