LIVE from NYPL: Is Technology Progressive? STEVEN JOHNSON in conversation with SHERRY TURKLE

Event Details
In his new book Future Perfect, popular author and media theorist Steven Johnson argues that a new model of political change is on the rise, transforming everything from local governments to classrooms, from protest movements to health care. Johnson paints a compelling portrait of this new political worldview—influenced by the success and interconnectedness of the Internet, but not dependent on high-tech solutions—that breaks with the conventional categories of liberal or conservative thinking. Future Perfect makes the case that progress is still possible, and that new solutions are on the rise.
 
In Alone Together, MIT technology and society professor Sherry Turkle explores the power of our new tools and toys to dramatically alter our social lives. It’s a nuanced exploration of what we are looking for—and sacrificing—in a world of electronic companions and social networking tools, and an argument that, despite the hand-waving of today’s self-proclaimed prophets of the future, it will be the next generation who will chart the path between isolation and connectivity.
 
STEVEN JOHNSON and SHERRY TURKLE will join in conversation to explore these changing dynamics of our society. How has the evolving nature of communication and socialization already affected our lives? How much further will it go?