The Great Acceleration: How the World is Getting Faster, Faster

(Paperback)

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Flash crashes. Speed dating. Instant messaging. From the devices we carry to the lives we lead, everything is getting faster, faster. But where did this great acceleration come from And where will it lead In this vitally important new book, Robert Colvile explains how the cult of disruption in Silicon Valley, the ceaseless advance of technology and our own fundamental appetite for novelty and convenience have combined to speed up every aspect of daily life. Drawing on the latest research, this book traces the path of this acceleration through our working and social lives, the food we buy and the music to which we listen. It explains how its transforming the media, politics and the financial markets and asks whether our bodies, and the natural environment, can cope. As we race towards the future into a world packed with new technologies, new ideas and new discoveries this scintillating and engrossing book is an invaluable, must-read guide to the wonders and dangers that await us.

Reviews

A must-read. The effects of acceleration are real, and we need to start taking them seriously -- Steve Hilton, author of 'More Human'
In a run, run, runaway world, Colviles The Great Acceleration is an indispensable guide to keeping up. A book that raises eyebrows and questions in equal measure. A meticulous, thoughtful, candid, sometimes stark and yet ultimately optimistic study of humanity, and our breath-taking desire for change -- Boris Johnson
A punchy and wide-ranging book about how our lives and our society are speeding up, when to apply the brakes and how to enjoy the ride -- Tim Harford, author of 'The Undercover Economist'
Its true - life is speeding up. But dont despair, overall thats a good thing for prosperity and quality of life, though it may not feel so as the emails pile up This book is as fast-paced as its subject matter, and well worth making time for -- Mark Lynas, author of 'The God Species'
Colvile is never less than engaging. Not a paragraph passes without an appealing factoid It is also inflected by a healthy sense of humour Given how easy it is to accentuate the negative, this is a book well worth reading, especially for the technological naysayers * Daily Telegraph *
An alert and readable survey of the effects of the great acceleration on tech firms, social media, art, news media, politics, banking and the environment. Its statistics are certainly striking * Sunday Times *
Despite the intriguing theme, I picked up this book with a heavy heart. There are now so many books inspired by Malcolm Gladwell that theyve become formulaic I neednt have worried. Colvile, a journalist, has done a very good job indeed. Its an interesting idea and he manages to persuade the reader that it matters. Its rare to go for a whole paragraph without learning something unexpected, funny or disturbing. The amount of research he has done is impressive. The Great Acceleration is really an excellent book -- Daniel Finkelstein, Book of the Week * The Times *
Colvile is an entertaining writer and his subject is a fascinating one * Evening Standard *
Compulsive, illuminating and ever-so-slightly terrifying -- James Delingpole * Mail on Sunday *
Excellently researched and thoughtful * Spectator *
Provides food for thought * How It Works *
Looking for a seriously good summer read The Great Acceleration is a brilliant take on how our world is changing -- Daniel Hannan

Author Bio

Robert Colvile has been a columnist, leader writer and comment editor with the Daily Telegraph. Among his many duties, he was supervising the papers Science and Digital Life pages, serving as comment editor of the Sunday Telegraph while still in his twenties, and producing a host of editorials, features, reviews and opinion pieces. He went on to be news director at BuzzFeed UK. He has a Masters degree from Cambridge in International Relations, is a regular pundit on Sky News, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies (a leading British think-tank) and author of an influential report on how the internet is transforming British politics, which was praised by Chancellor George Osborne among others. @rcolvile