Jaron Lanier has a new book out, Who Owns The Future arguing, among other things, that the internet killed the middle class. Salon has a great interview here.
Lanier is a deep thinker about the role of information technology, capital intensive labour, and the fate of democracy. Seeing integrated communications technology as a key driver in the alignment of social forces, Lanier’s thoughts normally make the tours through global history by connecting seemingly disparate forces such as the Facebook and increasing wealth inequality. His main argument throughout his work has been that society gives up much to satisfy efficiency.