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For ALL the People

Redeeming the Broken Promises of Modern Media and Reclaiming Our Civic Life

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A leader in digital communication and grassroots political campaigns explains how the internet and modern media have undermined America and how we can reclaim our voices for the good of civic life.

The creators of the internet promised us jetpacks: better experiences, more choices, and deeper relationships.

Built on a diversity of voices, our online freedom was supposed to spark a democratic transformation. But our platforms don't work for us—we're the inventory and our outrage fuels a tech revolution optimized for profit, not civic life.

As one of the top digital strategists for Barack Obama's two presidential campaigns, Michael Slaby saw the beginning of a new kind of national division. What he witnessed would spawn the Tea Party movement, upset the 2016 election, and accelerate the polarization of American civic life.

Slaby presents the four core areas which can be reclaimed to work better for all of us: platforms, government institutions, corporations, and even the users ourselves. Optimistic, future-focused, and deeply passionate, For ALL the People breaks down how we got here, and how we, the users, can work toward a better democracy through tech.

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    • Kirkus

      A former Obama strategist reflects on the state of modern media. In the book's introduction, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick describes Slaby as "one of the geniuses behind" President Barack Obama's "then-revolutionary digital [campaign] strategy." As the Obama campaign's deputy digital director in 2008 and chief integration and innovation officer in 2012, Slaby oversaw "dozens of digital firsts" by a presidential candidate, including the first Facebook and Twitter accounts. Slaby, at the forefront of digital politics, is uniquely positioned to provide insights into the shifting landscape of media in the 21st century, which not only propelled Obama into office, but also spawned the tea party movement, exacerbated political divisions, and facilitated the mass dissemination of disinformation. Combining erudite analyses of social theories, such as Jurgen Habermas' notion of the public sphere, with an accessible, occasionally witty, writing style, the author emphasizes the major paradox of today's media systems and technologies that "are ostensibly meant to connect us" yet excel at providing "increasingly isolated sets of information." After providing a convincing narrative on "Broken Promises" of modern media, where "popularity masquerades as credibility, and credibility seems like a function of little more than repetition," the second half of the book provides practical solutions to reform both the media we consume as well as American civic life in general. A prot�g� of Obama, Slaby is relentlessly optimistic even while acknowledging the contemporary cesspool of new media platforms and the failures of traditional media outlets, and the book successfully blends sophisticated analysis with an uplifting, engaging message. Though some may question the author's confidence in the general public's ability to discern fact from fiction, they will still find plenty of pragmatic solutions. A well-written commentary on one of the most pressing social issues of our time.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)

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  • English

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