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This year saw a ton of incisive, critical books on technology and the tech industry published by some fantastic authors — many of which have appeared on the show!
If you’re looking for some great reads over the holidays, here’s a list of our ten favourites.
If you’re looking for some great reads over the holidays, here’s a list of our ten favourites.
In “Automation and the Future of Work,” @abenanav dismantles the myth that automation is going to eradicate work and forces us to consider what kind of future we actually want to live in.
40% off at @VersoBooks: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3717-automation-and-the-future-of-work
40% off at @VersoBooks: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3717-automation-and-the-future-of-work
In “Uncanny Valley,” @annawiener retells her experiences at Silicon Valley startups — and how all the money and marketing was hiding the true face of the tech industry.
Find out more from @mcdbooks: https://www.mcdbooks.com/uncanny-valley/
Find out more from @mcdbooks: https://www.mcdbooks.com/uncanny-valley/
In “Too Smart,” @jathansadowski looks behind the curtain of the smart technologies invading every aspect of our lives to show how they’re enhancing corporate power — and why it’s time for us to push back.
Find out more at @mitpress: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/too-smart
Find out more at @mitpress: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/too-smart
In “Blockchain Chicken Farm,” @xrw takes readers into the Chinese countryside to show how technology is extending global supply chains into villages, forcing us to reflect on how these systems are altering communities.
Find out more from @FSGOriginals: https://www.fsgoriginals.com/books/blockchain-chicken-farm
Find out more from @FSGOriginals: https://www.fsgoriginals.com/books/blockchain-chicken-farm
In “Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars?,” @james_m_wilt reveals the flaws in the tech industry’s visions for the future of transportation and explains why an equitable transport system must be oriented around public transit.
30% off @readBTLbooks: https://btlbooks.com/book/do-androids-dream-of-electric-cars
30% off @readBTLbooks: https://btlbooks.com/book/do-androids-dream-of-electric-cars
In “Lurking,” @jomc mixes personal experience and history to explore how our experience online has evolved over the past few decades and what we seek when we head into cyberspace.
Find out more at @mcdbooks: https://www.mcdbooks.com/books/lurking
Find out more at @mcdbooks: https://www.mcdbooks.com/books/lurking
In “Abolish Silicon Valley,” @dellsystem tells the story of how she became disillusioned with the tech industry after previously buying into its mythology, and how we might build a foundation for better technology.
50% off at @RepeaterBooks: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/abolish-silicon-valley-how-to-liberate-technology-from-capitalism/
50% off at @RepeaterBooks: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/abolish-silicon-valley-how-to-liberate-technology-from-capitalism/
In “Supbrime Attention Crisis,” @timhwang digs into the opaque world of digital advertising to outline the core problems with the algorithmic ad markets and why the entire business model could be poised for collapse.
Find out more at @FSGOriginals: https://www.fsgoriginals.com/books/subprime-attention-crisis
Find out more at @FSGOriginals: https://www.fsgoriginals.com/books/subprime-attention-crisis
In “Dying for an iPhone,” the authors look past Apple’s sleek marketing to show how Foxconn factories making their products hurt Chinese workers and the environment.
40% off at @haymarketbooks (US): https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1468-dying-for-an-iphone
50% off at @PlutoPress (UK): https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341293/dying-for-an-iphone/
40% off at @haymarketbooks (US): https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1468-dying-for-an-iphone
50% off at @PlutoPress (UK): https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341293/dying-for-an-iphone/
In “Bit Tyrants,” @IronicProfessor digs into the aspects of the major tech companies’ histories they’d like to hide and outlines the economic structures that have allowed them to become monopolies.
40% off at @haymarketbooks: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1447-bit-tyrants
40% off at @haymarketbooks: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1447-bit-tyrants
If you want to listen to interviews with many of these authors and even more insightful critics of technology, check out the podcast’s backlist: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004689
For even more great books on technology, you can also take a look at the podcast’s Bookshop page. https://bookshop.org/shop/techwontsaveus
Happy reading!
