What do you think?
Rate this book
Hyperconnectivity and Its Discontents
Digital hyperconnectivity is a defining fact of our time. The Silicon Valley dream of universal connection – the dream of connecting everyone and everything to everyone and everything else, everywhere and all the time – is rapidly becoming a reality. In this wide-ranging and sharply argued book, Rogers Brubaker develops an original interpretive account of the pervasive and unsettling changes brought about by hyperconnectivity. He traces transformations of the self, social relations, culture, economics, and politics, giving special attention to underexplored themes of abundance, miniaturization, convenience, quantification, and discipline. He shows how hyperconnectivity prepared us for the pandemic and how the pandemic, in turn, has prepared us for an even more fully digitally mediated future. Throughout, Brubaker underscores the ambivalence of digital hyperconnectivity, which opens up many new and exciting possibilities, yet at the same time threatens human freedom and flourishing. Hyperconnectivity and Its Discontents will be essential reading for everyone interested in the constellation of socio-technical forces that are profoundly remaking our world.
288 pages, Paperback
Published November 21, 2022
7 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Rogers Brubaker
17 books34 followersAmerican sociologist, and professor at University of California, Los Angeles. He has written academic works on ethnicity, nationalism, and citizenship.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 6, 2025
The hyperconnectivity of our modern era has its advantages. We are connected to more people, information, and resources than ever before, which has enabled tremendous progress in many areas. However, it has also come with its discontents.
The increased connectivity has led to a proliferation of instant communication, with people constantly plugged in and connected to their devices. This has caused a lack of face-to-face interaction and socialization, leading to an increase in loneliness and depression in many people. Constant access to digital media can also lead to an overload of information, making it difficult for people to focus and think clearly.
The ever-increasing pace of our lives has also been exacerbated by the hyperconnectivity of our era. With so much information and communication coming in, it can be difficult to keep up and process it all. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and burnout.
Finally, the increased reliance on digital technology and the Internet can also lead to a lack of privacy. As more of our personal information is stored online, it is vulnerable to hacking and surveillance. This can lead to a lack of trust and security, as well as a feeling of being constantly watched and monitored.
------
L'iperconnettività della nostra era moderna ha i suoi vantaggi. Siamo connessi a più persone, informazioni e risorse che mai, il che ha consentito enormi progressi in molte aree. Tuttavia, è arrivato anche con i suoi malumori.
La maggiore connettività ha portato a una proliferazione di comunicazioni istantanee, con persone costantemente collegate e connesse ai propri dispositivi. Ciò ha causato una mancanza di interazione e socializzazione faccia a faccia, portando ad un aumento della solitudine e della depressione in molte persone. L'accesso costante ai media digitali può anche portare a un sovraccarico di informazioni, rendendo difficile per le persone concentrarsi e pensare con chiarezza.
Il ritmo sempre crescente delle nostre vite è stato anche esacerbato dall'iperconnettività della nostra epoca. Con così tante informazioni e comunicazioni in arrivo, può essere difficile tenere il passo ed elaborarle tutte. Questo può portare a stress, ansia e burnout.
Infine, la crescente dipendenza dalla tecnologia digitale e da Internet può anche portare a una mancanza di privacy. Poiché la maggior parte delle nostre informazioni personali è archiviata online, è vulnerabile all'hacking e alla sorveglianza. Ciò può portare a una mancanza di fiducia e sicurezza, nonché alla sensazione di essere costantemente osservati e monitorati.
The increased connectivity has led to a proliferation of instant communication, with people constantly plugged in and connected to their devices. This has caused a lack of face-to-face interaction and socialization, leading to an increase in loneliness and depression in many people. Constant access to digital media can also lead to an overload of information, making it difficult for people to focus and think clearly.
The ever-increasing pace of our lives has also been exacerbated by the hyperconnectivity of our era. With so much information and communication coming in, it can be difficult to keep up and process it all. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and burnout.
Finally, the increased reliance on digital technology and the Internet can also lead to a lack of privacy. As more of our personal information is stored online, it is vulnerable to hacking and surveillance. This can lead to a lack of trust and security, as well as a feeling of being constantly watched and monitored.
------
L'iperconnettività della nostra era moderna ha i suoi vantaggi. Siamo connessi a più persone, informazioni e risorse che mai, il che ha consentito enormi progressi in molte aree. Tuttavia, è arrivato anche con i suoi malumori.
La maggiore connettività ha portato a una proliferazione di comunicazioni istantanee, con persone costantemente collegate e connesse ai propri dispositivi. Ciò ha causato una mancanza di interazione e socializzazione faccia a faccia, portando ad un aumento della solitudine e della depressione in molte persone. L'accesso costante ai media digitali può anche portare a un sovraccarico di informazioni, rendendo difficile per le persone concentrarsi e pensare con chiarezza.
Il ritmo sempre crescente delle nostre vite è stato anche esacerbato dall'iperconnettività della nostra epoca. Con così tante informazioni e comunicazioni in arrivo, può essere difficile tenere il passo ed elaborarle tutte. Questo può portare a stress, ansia e burnout.
Infine, la crescente dipendenza dalla tecnologia digitale e da Internet può anche portare a una mancanza di privacy. Poiché la maggior parte delle nostre informazioni personali è archiviata online, è vulnerabile all'hacking e alla sorveglianza. Ciò può portare a una mancanza di fiducia e sicurezza, nonché alla sensazione di essere costantemente osservati e monitorati.
April 23, 2024
Essential read for everyone in this day and age of technocracy and technosocial mingling
August 19, 2024
Brilliant
December 4, 2022
How is Hyperconnectivity — the defining “total social fact” of our time — transforming our politics, economy, culture, indeed very conception of our self? A brilliantly observed, beautifully written, carefully theorized account of what ubiquitous planetary-scale computation — always on, always observing, always calculating, always feeding back — means for our present and future. As hyperconnectivity discloses the death (of the myth) of the autonomous liberal subject, what does this mean for the systems and institutions that presumed the reality and stability of that subject?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews