The Bleeding Edge: Why Technology Turns Toxic in an Unequal World

(Paperback)

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A big-hitting historical analysis of technology which uses the computer as a can-opener to expose the inequality innate in capitalism

Capitalism likes us to believe in the steady, inevitable march of progress, from the abacus to the iPad. But the historical record tells of innumerable roads not taken, all of which could have led to better worlds, and still can. Bob Hughes, anacademic and activist, argues that prioritizing equality would develop superior and more diverse technologies that would lead to a richer more sustainable world.

Reviews

'The Bleeding Edge is truly the leading edge of books that challenge us to rethink the relationship between technology, capitalism and inequality. Rejecting both apocalyptic pessimism and techno-optimism, Hughes provides a compelling map to the future in which information technologies are harnessed for the common good. Powerfully argued and easy to read, this is one of those books that can help change the world.' - Betsy Hartmann, Professor Emerita of Development Studies and senior policy analyst, Population and Development Program, Hampshire College. 'Hughes nails inequality to the wall with precision and passion. He weaves together multiple strands to make the case against inequality, from economics through anthropology; from evolutionary theory through social epidemiology. Then, once he has constructed his airtight logic, he colors it in with the emotional dimensions of life lived under oppressive hierarchy - or empowering egalitarianism. Hughes' book dares us to stop begging for half-measures and instead demand our human birthright: full social and economic equality!' - Deborah S. Rogers, PhD President, Initiative for Equality Affiliated Researcher, Stanford University, Institute for Research in the Social Sciences.

Author Bio

Bob Hughes worked as a school teacher, calligrapher, and in advertising before getting involved with computers in the mid-1980s, working on interactive information systems, running an interest group, and writing about the new industry's unofficial history and creative traditions. Later, he became involved in campaigning for the rights of migrants, on whose labour the digital economy is built, and was a co-founder, in 2003, of No One Is Illegal, UK. He taught digital media at Oxford Brookes University until 2013, with a particular interest in publishing for social change. He currently lives and writes in southern France.