“The Future of the Internet – And How To Stop It”- Review
Apr 9th, 2009 | By Vidar Daatland | Category: Book reviews, Entertainment, Literature, Media
Are you really qualified to use The Internet? Maybe not, and this book explains why. It may even make you appreciate viruses on your computer…
Author Jonathan Zittrain was a professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford and is currently a professor of Internet law at Harvard Law School. So it’s pretty safe to say he has some insight in the matter of the thing you are currently using to read this. You know, the thing they call “The Internet”. But maybe you should log off, because if you do not know what the message in this book is about, then frankly, your not qualified to use it. Seriously.
“The Future of the Internet – And How To Stop It” is a book that describes the horizon. And most importantly, it describes the reefs that are hidden in the water. Are you one who loves your iPhone, think TiVo and the coming Onlive gives promise of a great future and that all the “Web 2.0” is so magnificent? Then you really need to read this book. Not saying Mr. Zittrain is one who doesn’t like the said examples, but he is one who masterfully pinpoints the dangers that they might possess.
This book is all about what’s called “Generative”. It tells the tale on how the generative designs out there really pushed the evolution of technology forward, sparking innovation and growth. The PC for example, how the use of it created new technology and new inventions. And how it gave birth to The Internet, and especially the World Wide Web. He warns about a recent trend, with more regulation and especially the scare-tactics against the PC. You may have seen the genius commercial about “Mac vs. PC“, where all the flaws in the PC is highlighted, and the Mac goes of victorious because it’s more stable and easy to use? Well, that’s not something mr. Zittrain is especially fond of. And the examples he uses may give you a new perspective of your iPhone or Mac, if you own one. Because i represents something that is not generative, it is something that strips a PC for what makes it generative and it’s not good for the future. Or so he claims.
It may be compared to someone telling you that humans should be terminated. Humans have flaws. They act irrational and they get sick. Therefore, humans should be replaced with robots. They don’t get sick and they will not act irrational, if programmed correctly. But then again, the sickness and the irrationality is what makes us human. Which is what triggers our evolving capacities, creating new and wonderful things.
Zittrain focuses mainly on The Internet and what’s happening there (But I think the books title gives that away…). He has a lot of fun perspective on things and goes very in depth about the history of The Internet. Maybe a bit too much. He’s good at not overselling the message he wants to deliver, which is a good thing. If pushed too hard he would have come of as the doomsday-man taking things way out of context. The image on the cover is a good one, pointing out the crossroads we’re seemingly at. Where will we go from here? When you’re out buying a computer and wonder if you want a Mac or a PC, well you’re at the crossroad. Either you know it or not.
The Verdict
It’s been over a half year since I read this book, but I feel it’s of such importance that a late-review is in order. A lot of the critic and perspective is nothing new to many of the experts out there, so for them it might be repetetive. But if not, this one should be mandatory for everyone working with The Internet. Either you’re a journalist, a programmer, an editor or a businessman. It’s well written, by a very smart man. But he is an academic and as most academics, he lacks the talent of never using two words when one will do (which, according to Thomas Jefferson is the most important talents of them all). A talent I myself lack. There is a lot of text and a lot of history in this one, to give as much ballast as he can get the message through. But It’s a bit too much. All in all, the book is a very important one. It’s not foreseeing an acopalypse, but it is a great warning sign every user of the Internet needs to know about. Read this and you will be aware of the warning sign and you will be better equipped to see what’s ahead when being confronted with a crossroad.
PS! If your not interested in reading the book, you can watch Mr. Zittrain telling the story about the book in this video.
