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 ]
News tagged with: #silicon valley #bestseller charts

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Poison pens: leading writers call for overhaul of UK’s Society of Authors

Literary world riven by conflict as trade union is accused of inappropriately taking sides in culture warIt is a literary row that threatens to consume the very organisation set up to protect authors’ rights. And, in spite of the involvement of three prominent names in children’s books, it has... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-21 09:00:05 UTC ]
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The UK’s Society of Authors Adds a New Disability-Focused Book Award

The Society of Authors in London opens its 2023 submission program, having awarded 32 writers and illustrators with 2022 prizes. The post The UK’s Society of Authors Adds a New Disability-Focused Book Award appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-08-05 13:37:47 UTC ]
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Rogers restores service following Canada-wide internet outage

On Saturday, Rogers Communications said it had restored service for the “vast majority” of customers affected by the outage that left many Canadians without access to the internet. “As our services come back online and traffic volumes return to normal, some customers may experience a delay in... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-07-09 16:16:23 UTC ]
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A plan to fix the internet: Put the government in charge

Ben Tarnoff believes that on the web, the profit motive and the public good are inherently at odds. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-24 12:00:51 UTC ]
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Tested: Multi-gig fiber internet is too fast for your PC

If you’re about to bite the bullet on a blazing-fast multi-gig internet deal, you might just have to upgrade your PC’s storage drive and CPU too. I know this because besides having to upgrade my networking hardware, which was too slow for my new Sonic 10Gb internet, I discovered that parts... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-05-18 10:45:00 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Opens Open-Access Book Deal with Max Planck Society

Springer Nature calls its arrangement, through the Max Planck Digital Library, its largest open-access institutional book deal yet. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson More Than 80 Max Planck Institutes Participating in an agreement the company calls its largest institutional... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-05-13 00:44:39 UTC ]
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Chuck Klosterman weighs in on Nirvana, the Internet and the ‘ecstatic complacency’ that defined the ’90s

The "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" author discusses his new book, "The Nineties." Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-08 15:00:52 UTC ]
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New Titles Look to Body, Soul, and Society

Publishers that take on social issues from a religious perspective put focus on healthcare as a moral issue. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Halls 'enormously proud' of booksellers but warns of challenges ahead

Booksellers Association managing director Meryl Halls says she is "enormously proud" of what booksellers have achieved this year but has raised concerns about "another unsettling stretch" with the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, concerns about inflation and continued issues with... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-23 04:11:09 UTC ]
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Pamela Paul and Cecilia Kang on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Internet

Author and editor of the New York Times Book Review Pamela Paul and New York Times journalist Cecilia Kang join hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to consider how social media and search engines have changed everyday life. First, Paul provides a nostalgia tour of pre-internet life,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-02 09:50:49 UTC ]
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In New Filing, Publishers Accuse Internet Archive of ‘Stonewalling’ Discovery in Scanning Lawsuit

In a November 19 letter, lawyers for the plaintiff publishers outlined seven “categories” of requested documents yet to be turned over by the Internet Archive and accused the IA of "hoping to run out the clock” on discovery. Discovery in the case is due to close mid-December. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers, AAP Hit Back in Internet Archive Discovery Dispute

Lawyers for the AAP and the plaintiff publishers insist that communications and documents being withheld in the case are in fact privileged, and accused the IA of "attempting to litigate this case and their desired policy gains in the press based on a false narrative rather than in the courtroom... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Two for Bodley Head on Royal Society Science Book Prize shortlist

The six-strong shortlist for the £25,000 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize has been revealed, including two titles from PRH imprint The Bodley Head. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-28 22:52:51 UTC ]
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Logan and Jackson among judges for Royal Society Young People's Book Prize

Broadcaster Gabby Logan and award-winning children's author Sharna Jackson are among the judges announced for this year's Royal Society Young People's Book Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-18 18:21:06 UTC ]
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Why Amazon's oldest Kindles will be cut off from the internet

Amazon’s oldest Kindles are being cut off from the internet. But don’t blame Amazon—these e-readers are collateral damage in the phaseout of 2G and 3G cellular service.The first two generations of Kindle e-readers used a cellular antenna to connect to the internet for downloading content.... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2021-08-18 16:45:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Blast Internet Archive’s ‘Extraordinary’ Demand for Sales Data

Lawyers say the Internet Archive's sweeping demand for 10 years worth of monthly sales data is "burdensome in the extreme" and legally "irrelevant." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Internet Archive Seeking 10 Years of Publisher Sales Data for Its Fair Use Defense

In their filing August 9, IA lawyers insist the sales data is crucial to its fair use defense in a lawsuit filed last year, while the plaintiff publishers have balked at the extraordinary request. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Cuba’s internet and journalism blackouts

On Tuesday, Dina Fernandez, a Cuban YouTuber who goes by the name Dina Stars, was doing an interview on Todo Es Mentira, a Spanish TV show, at her home in Havana. She heard a knock on the door. Stars told Marta Flich, the show’s host, that state security officials were outside. As she went to... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-16 12:30:19 UTC ]
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Society of Young Publishers mentorship scheme returns

The Society of Young Publishers has opened submissions for its mentorship programme for the second year running, inviting aspiring publishers living in the UK or Ireland to apply. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-09 11:10:18 UTC ]
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