Evgeny Morozov is a visiting scholar at Stanford and author of the recently released book, The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom.
There is a 10 minute animated lecture available that describes his perspectives on “The Internet in Society: Empowering or Censoring Citizens?“. This new RSA Animate video was adapted from a talk given in 2009, and so it pre-dates the current events in the Middle East. As such, his alternative take on ‘cyber-utopianism’ – the seductive idea that the internet plays a largely emancipatory role in global politics – may be rejected too quickly by many viewers.
I found it to be thought provoking. I hope it will help stimulate discussion around the dinner table this weekend for you.