{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/9a03fe9e-1ff0-4dcc-b3f6-50bd1f016ea4/61f1b07dcb2c6b00128769a9?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":" The Next Big Thing","description":"<p>David talks to John Naughton about what’s coming next in the tech revolution and where it’s taking us. From quantum computing to cryptocurrency, from AI to the Internet of Things: what’s hype, what’s for real and how will it shape our politics. Plus we discuss what China understands about technology that the rest of the world might have missed.</p><p><br></p><p>Talking Points:&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>The metaverse is the next big thing in Silicon Valley. It feels like the logical conclusion of prevailing trends.</p><ul><li>This is not actually a radical break.</li><li>The gaming industry is developing the metaverse. And big tech is investing heavily in gaming.&nbsp;</li><li>The metaverse bypasses many elements of the real world that people like Zuckerberg are keen on, such as government regulation.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>What will be the next big technological shift? Are we in a kind of lull?</p><ul><li>The internet of things has not gone away.</li><li>Blockchain, which enables crypto, is still a significant technology.</li><li>Proponents of Web3 want to disrupt centralized control of the Internet.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Does the Chinese system show us that there is another choice on technology?&nbsp;</p><ul><li>The general view of autocracy is that it can’t be done. The problem is imperfect information.</li><li>Has technology made it possible to escape the autocrat’s trap?</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Technology has undeniably changed our lives, but the liberatory promise does not seem to have been realized.</p><ul><li>When will technology give us control over our own time?&nbsp;</li><li>The kind of capitalism that drives the tech industry is unstable unless it grows.</li><li>The relentlessness of consumer society is antithetical to a particular kind of creativity and a particular kind of politics.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Mentioned in this Episode:</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/profile/johnnaughton\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">John’s column for the Observer</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.waterstones.com/book/snow-crash/neal-stephenson/9780241953181\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Neal Stephennson, <em>Snow Crash</em></a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2019/172-libra\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">John on TP talking about Libra</a></li><li><a href=\"http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/keynes1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Keynes’ essay, ‘Economic possibilities for our grandchildren’</a></li><li><a href=\"https://play.acast.com/s/history-of-ideas/arendtonaction\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">History of Ideas, Hannah Arendt on Action</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.mctd.ac.uk/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Further Learning:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-the-metaverse/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">What is the metaverse, exactly?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/11/21/1056988346/web3-internet-jargon-or-future-vision\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">What is Web3?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/18/microsofts-activision-plan-shows-gaming-will-be-at-heart-of-metaverse\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">More on Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: </strong><a href=\"http://lrb.co.uk/talking\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>lrb.co.uk/talking</strong></a></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"David Runciman and Catherine Carr"}