Author Archives: thefifthwave

President Obama and the joy of negation

Posted on May 23, 2013

President Obama has been mocked for having “community organizer” on his resume, but that particular job experience aligns him with the self-image of a rebellious public.  As can be seen from this application, the community organizer is expected to denounce, … Continue reading →

Posted in influence, the public | 1 Comment

Henry Farrell and the politics of despair

Posted on May 14, 2013

The great vectors of change today are technological and cultural rather than political.  Digital platforms give force to a mutinous public, which has trampled with muddy boots into the sacred precincts of authority.  The established order has reacted with fear … Continue reading →

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Is the Fifth Wave a good witch or a bad witch? (3)

Posted on April 22, 2013

This is the third in a series offering a normative evaluation of the radical changes brought about by the Fifth Wave of information – what is sometimes called the digital revolution.  My method is simple:  to examine specific attributes of this ongoing transformation, and … Continue reading →

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Is the Fifth Wave a good witch or a bad witch? (2)

Posted on April 16, 2013

This is the second of a series of posts offering a normative evaluation of the radical changes brought about by the Fifth Wave of information – what is sometimes called the digital revolution.  My method is simple:  to examine specific … Continue reading →

Posted in cataclysm, the public | Leave a comment

Is the Fifth Wave a good witch or a bad witch? (1)

Posted on April 2, 2013

 My concern in writing this blog is to understand the effects of the Fifth Wave of information across various domains.  This has seemed sufficiently ambitious.  Tossing out cosmic judgments would be fun but self-indulgent.  Marx’s scorn for interpreting the world … Continue reading →

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The economic implications of the Fifth Wave

Posted on February 18, 2013

Enter Tyson’s Galleria, a golden temple of consumption for upscale shoppers.  Built in 1988, it was expanded in 1997 and made to appear – so the designers thought – like a “European streetscape.”   In reality, it looks a bit like … Continue reading →

Posted in cataclysm, the public | 1 Comment

The last temptation of Al Jazeera

Posted on February 6, 2013

Al Jazeera’s popularity stemmed from the perception, shared by a large Arabic-speaking audience, that the satellite newscaster’s editorial decisions were not dictated by any government or party.  Under the banner of “the opinion and the other opinion,” Al Jazeera demonstrated … Continue reading →

Posted in death of news, influence, the public, tv, visual persuasion | Leave a comment

Journey to the center of the web

Posted on January 30, 2013

Come with me down the virtual crater of a digital volcano, located anywhere in the world – but for the sake of the story, let’s say Iceland.  We are about to embark on an inconceivable adventure:  an excursion to the … Continue reading →

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Academia in the age of Skype

Posted on January 22, 2013

The American university is in truth a medieval institution reformed along German lines in the 19th century.  At that time, the university replaced the informal “republic of letters” as the arbiter of authority in published works.  The academic self-image resembles … Continue reading →

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A fable on the decline of human systems

Posted on January 15, 2013

Imagine an institution – say, a university (but it can be a company, a government, a military unit, a social club) – in which every person is perfectly suited to his function.  The system is optimal.  There is zero waste.  … Continue reading →

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