Events

Hosted by: MIT Communications Forum 

Author Noam Cohen and Northeastern University assistant professor Jeff Howe discuss the rise of Silicon Valley and whether the drive for innovation degrades our humanity.

Has Silicon Valley Lost Its Humanity?

Silicon Valley innovations have given rise to a class of tech titans wielding immense economic and political influence and has paved the way for a cultural shift towards individualism. Has this resulted in historically marginalized groups being left behind once again? Noam Cohen, a former New York Times technology columnist and author of The Know-It-Alls: The Rise of Silicon Valley as a Political Powerhouse and Social Wrecking Ball, argues that the disruption touted by Silicon Valley occurs at the expense of empathy, civility, and even democracy itself. The result? Everything from fake news to the growing divide between the haves and have-nots. Cohen joins Northeastern University journalism professor Jeff Howe, who coined the term “crowdsourcing” in a 2006 Wired article, to discuss the ethical push and pull between the drive for innovation and preserving our own humanity and moral codes.

This event is sponsored by Radius at MIT.


Details

Thursday, November 30, 2017
6:00–8:00 pm

MIT Room 3–270

Admission is free and is open to the MIT community and the general public.

To learn more. visit the event page.