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Summary of Radical Technologies 

4.3 . 129 reviews

Short summary

While we work, go for walks, and sleep, a large-scale but inconspicuous secret life actively changes our existence, and it's not about microorganisms. In the 21st century, we share the planet not only with the realm of nature but also with the realm of technology. Many writers and filmmakers considered technological progress necessary and valuable. But is it really so? Writer and urbanist Adam Greenfield wrote the acclaimed book Radical Technologies — a guide to the world of smartphones, augmented reality, cryptocurrency, and other innovations that we trust. However, every progress comes at a price, and the technological future requires a thoughtful approach. With the help of this summary, you will reconsider your attitude to technology and learn more about its work and influence on you and the whole world. ”I don’t know what it will feel like to be human in the post-human moment. I don’t think any of us truly do.” ~ Adam Greenfield

Table of content

  • Summary of Radical Technologies
  • About the author
  • What is Radical Technologies about?
  • Who should read Radical Technologies
  • Topics in Radical Technologies
first key point

Eyes everywhere: how technology has changed our routine

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Imagine a few minutes of big city life. A skirmish between football fans did not go unnoticed, as ATM cameras recorded it. A streetcleaner has a GPS transponder that notifies the mayor's office about the route and provides citizens with real-time information. And the tourist, who left a bookstore and went for a walk with a hidden secret, a stolen book in one of his jacket pockets. A program that records the store's inventory will later detect the loss. We don't have privacy even for a minute; cameras, pedometers, cash registers, and other technologies record everything.

At any other time, it would be impossible to capture so many activities taking place at the same time in different parts of the city. But today, machines and programs follow us everywhere. For example, we have fun, find partners and friends, work, and relax with the help of smartphones. The phone accompanies us almost every moment of life and makes it easier. At the same time, constant smartphone usage deprives life of spontaneity and humanity. In 2005, scientists conducted a study by asking people to show the contents of their bags. There were photographs of loved ones, icons, amulets, and money. But in ten years, the cell phone had replaced all these items. On the one hand, this is a logical consequence of technological progress, and on the other, it indicates our helplessness and dependence.

We cannot imagine life without the convenience of technology. But what lies behind the friendly shell of progress? Adam Greenfield wrote the book Radical Technologies to expose technical systems from different angles, not just from the attractive side, as manufacturers do for their benefit.
Our lives depend on technology, but we are not aware of the structure of most of the devices we encounter.
You will explore extraordinary technologies and products and their presence in our lives. You will analyze the work of familiar technologies (smartphones) and reality-changing ones (artificial intelligence) and find out their positive and negative consequences. Learn how radical technologies change us and whether it is possible to maintain independence and humanity in the coming era of machines.
second key point

Beware, they hear you: the secret life of voice assistants

A voice assistant lives in our phones, computers, and tablets, like a genie in a magic lamp. Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple have created assistants that process voice requests and provide the necessary information or connect to the proper application. Predominantly, these assistants have female names and voices; a study in North America showed that users trust women more than they trust men. Apple has Siri, and Amazon has Alexa; only Google created an assistant, aptly named Google, and deprived it of gender identity.
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third key point

What we really get when we buy a smartphone

fourth key point

It is impossible to exist in multiple realities even in the advanced future

fifth key point

It is okay to fill your wallet with cash, not cryptocurrency

sixth key point

Working with machines: robots and the possibility of job cuts

seventh key point

The art of machines can take place in museums, but not in the souls of people

eighth key point

Conclusion

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What is Radical Technologies about?

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

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