Jarett Kobek: ‘The internet has been enormously detrimental to society’

The author of Silicon Valley satire I Hate the Internet on the evils of social media, and how novelists have failed to tackle itWhen the novel I Hate the Internet came out in the US earlier this year, it had every likelihood of sinking without trace. It was self-published, it was by a young unknown – Jarett Kobek – and its main selling point was naked, gleeful contempt for the devices and technology platforms that are an essential part of all our daily lives. “Nothing says individuality like 500 million consumer electronics built by slaves,” he says at one point. “Welcome to hell.” Hell, for Kobek, a 38-year-old American of Turkish heritage, became daily life in San Francisco, where the novel is set. Along with many of the city’s artists and writers, he found himself driven out by the forces of gentrification, moved to Los Angeles, where he’s now based, set up his own small press, and wrote this book – a scorching satire of how a few hypercapitalist companies in Silicon Valley have come to dominate everything. I Hate the Internet didn’t sink without trace. It found a readership thirsty for its funny, acerbic edge, got a rave review in the New York Times, went to the top of the bestseller charts in Germany and has now been published here by Serpent’s Tail.So, do you actually hate the internet, Jarett?Not particularly. There’s part of it that I find really contemptible. The title is offered like the sneer of a 15-year-old into Twitter, after they’ve just seen a meme of... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]

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China Bestsellers: November’s Big Sales Rule the Charts

Major seasonal sales impacted the bestseller charts in China in November, as illustrated books saw strong performances from two children's book series. The post China Bestsellers: November’s Big Sales Rule the Charts appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-01-05 17:22:03 UTC ]
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'Strong' first-day sales of Obama memoir online, says Waterstones

Waterstones has seen "strong" online orders for A Promised Land (Viking), with the title also at number one in Amazon's bestseller charts. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-18 06:17:45 UTC ]
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Troubled Blood strikes twice atop the bestseller charts

Robert Galbraith's Troubled Blood (Sphere) has spent a second week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 25,428 copies in its first full week on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-28 22:57:56 UTC ]
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The Pheromonophone Lets You Reach Out and Smell Someone

The prankish device is the subject of a new audiobook that pokes serious fun at Silicon Valley’s culture of disruption. We spoke with its inventor. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2020-08-31 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Eddo-Lodge retains top spot, as sales figures return to bestseller charts

Reni Eddo-Lodge's Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race (Bloomsbury) has notched up a second week as the UK Official Top 50 number one, selling 34,211 copies through Nielsen BookScan's TCM. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-23 13:15:03 UTC ]
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John Bolton's bad reviews don't stop him topping US book charts

The Room Where It Happened, due out later this month if attempts to block publication fail, has received stinging early notices but is already Amazon’s No 1John Bolton’s damning indictment of the Trump presidency is topping bestseller charts in the US a week before its release, despite withering... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-18 11:54:13 UTC ]
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Black Writers’ Guild calls for sweeping change in UK publishing

More than 100 authors join new body calling for the industry to address deep-seated inequalities in output and personnelMore than 100 writers including Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo, Benjamin Zephaniah and Malorie Blackman have called on all major publishing houses in the UK to introduce... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-15 17:08:57 UTC ]
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Michael Lewis’s new podcast explores inequality via the coaching boom

The bestselling author returns with season two of his ‘Against the Rules’ podcast, shifting focus from the decline of referees in society to the proliferation of coaches. Since his first book was published back in 1989, Michael Lewis has been famous for explaining complex concepts and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-05-05 06:00:31 UTC ]
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Alexandra Chang’s ‘Days of Distraction’ experiments with form to reveal the complexities of modern life

The debut novel intersperses the story of a tech reporter in Silicon Valley with Facebook posts, tweets, Google results and other fragments. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
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China Bestsellers February 2020: A Market Stilled by Contagion

While China's bestseller charts typically feature new releases, under the coronavirus outbreak, the lists have gone into a kind of lockdown of their own. The post China Bestsellers February 2020: A Market Stilled by Contagion appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-25 14:23:29 UTC ]
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‘Whistleblower’ and ‘Uncanny Valley’ offer a chilling look at life in Silicon Valley

Two new memoirs reveal harassment, discrimination and intimidation, among other abuses, at large tech companies. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-02 17:47:51 UTC ]
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J.D. Vance has launched a VC fund named after a Tolkien artifact and backed by Peter Thiel.

As Bloomberg reports, J. D. Vance, bestselling author of Hillbilly Elegy, Yale graduate, and venture capitalist has teamed up with Peter Thiel, Eric Schmidt, and Marc Andreessen of Silicon Valley to establish a venture capital firm in Ohio called Narya Capital. If “Narya” sounds familiar to you,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-01-10 20:12:30 UTC ]
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A Tech Insider Stylishly Chronicles Her Industry’s ‘Uncanny Valley’

Anna Wiener’s memoir captures the dreams, delusions and general absurdity of Silicon Valley in indelible detail. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-01-03 10:00:08 UTC ]
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WPP returns to growth and Facebook News offers publishers ‘free money’: Friday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-25 10:25:54 UTC ]
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Silicon Valley is a popular target for writers. How does Daniel Handler’s ‘Bottle Grove’ hold up?

The latest novel from the man behind Lemony Snicket is a satire that’s missing some key ingredients. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-08-30 13:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Picks: Books of the Week, July 8, 2019

This week: a swampy urban legend, plus Silicon Valley and the remaking of America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Google broke down barriers to broadcast media — even for mass killers

The killing of 49 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, was engineered to be viewed and shared on the world’s largest technology platforms, taking full advantage of Silicon Valley’s laissez-faire approach to content moderation. It began with a racist manifesto uploaded to the... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-03-16 00:05:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Google broke down barriers to broadcast media — even for mass killers

The killing of 49 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, was engineered to be viewed and shared on the world’s largest technology platforms, taking full advantage of Silicon Valley’s laissez-faire approach to content moderation. It began with a racist manifesto uploaded to the... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-03-16 00:05:00 UTC ]
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Ambitious breakup of Amazon, Facebook and Google is proposed by Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pledged Friday to take aim at Amazon, Facebook and Google if she is elected president in 2020, breaking apart each of the big tech companies and introducing sweeping new regulation of Silicon Valley. The proposal marks the most ambitious and aggressive effort... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-03-08 20:40:00 UTC ]
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Ambitious breakup of Amazon, Facebook and Google is proposed by Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pledged Friday to take aim at Amazon, Facebook and Google if she is elected president in 2020, breaking apart each of the big tech companies and introducing sweeping new regulation of Silicon Valley. The proposal marks the most ambitious and aggressive effort... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-03-08 20:40:00 UTC ]
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