Howard Rheingold: “People Got to Be Free”

Stayin' Alive in Tech

Howard Rheingold calls himself an Independent Instigator & Observer, and we are so glad he is. Since the 60s, when the first concepts of personal computing and connecting humankind through networks were merely ideas on an LSD trip, he’s been watching how technology and human minds interrelate.

Howard brings us up to the macro level, discussing how modes of communication shape the way societies behave, or how expressing hope can save an entire generation. Then he takes us to the micro level, comparing Facebook to other platforms that better encourage self-expression, telling us about the ‘five essential literacies’ for surviving in the modern world, and giving a huge list of recommended reading—like any good professor would.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE (FOR FULL LIST OF LINKS, SEE OUR FULL WEBPAGE):

• Michael Pollan’s book: How to Change Your Mind
• Higher Creativity: Liberating the Unconscious for Breakthrough Insights by Howard Rheingold and Willis Harman
• The WELL
• Howard’s TED Talk: “The New Power of Collaboration”
• Alan Kay’s article in Scientific American “Microelectronics in the Personal Computer"
• Future Shock by Alvin Toffler
• Whole Earth Catalog (on Amazon and Wikipedia) and the Millennium Whole Earth Catalog
• Our Minds Have Been Hijacked by Our Phones. Tristan Harris Wants to Rescue Them from Wired.com
• Connected Learning Alliance
• What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry by John Markoff
• Doug Engelbart’s “Mother of All Demos” video— the world debut of personal and interactive computing in 1968!
• Howard’s Patreon profile

MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY:

"People Got to Be Free" by The Rascals

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Timeshare CMO, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco.

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