Martin Gurri

A story of how increased availability and spread of information, through social media, blogs and other internet media, is changing the world, leading to a "slow-motion collision of two modes of organizing life: one hierarchical, industrial, and top-down, the other networked, egalitarian, bottom-up." The first part of the book is good, documenting the above view by going through events such as the Arab spring, Occupy Wall Street, various European protests, in particular in Spain and Italy. Many of these are protests and revolts against the establishment (governments, old media, experts) without a clear program of their own. Indeed often seeming to protest anything. Gurri is afraid of the "nihilism" implied by this. However, shallower analysis later on, e.g. simplistically about whether the US stimulus money "worked" or not, though it is true that the economy is complex and not as predictable as many believe, and repeated, vitriolic attacks on Obama ("sectarian prophet"). Some interesting threads drawn also to Trump, Tsipras and Macron, promising to drain the swamp and being elected on discontent. Not recommended, despite strong recommendation from Noah Smith. http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2019/02/book-review-revolt-of-public-by-marti...… (mais)