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The Twittering Machine
by Richard SeymourA brilliant probe into the political and psychological effects of our changing relationship with social mediaFormer social media executives tell us that the system is an addiction-machine. We are users, waiting for our next hit as we like, comment and share. We write to the machine as individuals, but it responds by aggregating our fantasies, desires and frailties into data, and returning them to us as a commodity experience. The Twittering Machine is an unflinching view into the calamities of digital life: the circus of online trolling, flourishing alt-right subcultures, pervasive corporate surveillance, and the virtual data mines of Facebook and Google where we spend considerable portions of our free time. In this polemical tour de force, Richard Seymour shows how the digital world is changing the ways we speak, write, and think. Through journalism, psychoanalytic reflection and insights from users, developers, security experts and others, Seymour probes the human side of the machine, asking what we&’re getting out of it, and what we&’re getting into. Social media held out the promise that we could make our own history–to what extent did we choose the nightmare that it has become?
Two Billion Eyes: The Story of China Central Television
by Ying Zhu&“The definitive work on Chinese television . . . A pioneering picture of CCTV and its crucial role in the contemporary Chinese political economy&” (Robert W. McChesney, author of Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy). As China navigates the murky waters of a &“third way&” with liberal economic policies under a strict political regime, the surprising battleground for China&’s future emerges in the country&’s highest rated television network—China Central Television, or CCTV. With 16 internationally broadcast channels and over 1.2 billion viewers, CCTV is a powerhouse in conveying Chinese news and entertainment. The hybrid nature of the network has also transformed it into an unexpected site of discourse in a country that has little official space for negotiation. While CCTV programming is state sponsored—and censored—the popularity and profit of the station are determined by the people. And as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to exert its own voice on domestic and international affairs, the prospect of finding an amenable audience becomes increasingly paramount. Through a series of interviews with a fascinating cast of power players including a director of a special topic program that incited the 1989 student movement, current and past presidents of CCTV, and producers at the frontline of the network&’s rapidly evolving role in Chinese culture, celebrated media analyst Ying Zhu unlocks a doorway to political power that has long been shrouded in mystery. &“An indispensable guide to the Chinese media landscape.&” —The New Inquiry &“Up until Two Billion Eyes, the view of Chinese media has often been limited . . . Ying Zhu expands the periphery of our vision.&” —Los Angeles Review of Books
Two Decades of Multimedia Storytelling in Digital Journalism: Lessons of the Past, Challenges of the Present, and Potentials for the Future
by Rosanna PlanerLocated within the field of journalism research, this book deals with multimedia storytelling in digital journalism. It focuses on the very fundamental question of how previously established forms of presentation can and have evolved in the digital age. Using a multi-method design, it first conducts a systematic literature analysis of international studies on the selected topic (n=381). Hypotheses derived from this study serve as the basis for a quantitative content analysis of more than 1,700 multimedia stories from German and US media companies, which also forms the core of the analysis. In a final step, the thesis discusses these findings with journalists and story producers from Germany and the USA (n=21). Overall, multimedia stories were produced in a complex and resource-intensive manner just a decade ago, but have since developed into an established and consolidated format in editorial departments. Technological development, the focus on the needs of the audience and the "turn to mobile" are determining the future of the format.
Two English-Language Translators of Jin Ping Mei: From Lotus to Plum (Routledge Studies in Chinese Translation)
by Shuangjin XiaoTwo English-Language Translators of Jin Ping Mei examines English translations of the Ming novel Jin Ping Mei by translators from different historical periods within the Anglophone world.Drawing upon theoretical insights from translation studies, literary criticism, and cultural studies, the book explores the treatment of salient features of the novel in translation, including cultural representation, narratological elements, gender-specific motifs, and (homo)sexual themes. Through literary re-imagining and artistic re-creation, Egerton transforms a complex and sprawling narrative into a popular modern middlebrow novel, making it readily accessible within Western genres. Roy’s interlinear and annotated translation transcends the mere retelling of a vivid story for its unwavering emphasis on every single detail of the original, becoming a portal to the Ming past. It stands as a testament to the significance of translation as a medium for understanding the legacy of the late Ming and the socio-cultural dynamics shaping that period in Chinese history.This book will be a useful reference for scholars and research students within the fields of literary translation studies and translated Chinese literature, particularly Ming- Qing fiction. The book will also appeal to students and researchers studying Jin Ping Mei’s translation and reception in the West.
The Two W's of Journalism: The Why and What of Public Affairs Reporting (Routledge Communication Series)
by Davis Buzz" Merritt Maxwell E. McCombsIn this timely volume, the authors explore public affairs journalism, a practice that lies at the core of the journalism profession. They go beyond the journalistic instruction for reporting and presenting news to reflect on why journalism works the way it does. Asking current and future journalists the critical questions, "Why do we do it?" and "What are the ways of fulfilling the goals of journalism?" their discussion stimulates the examination of contemporary practice, probing the foundations of public affairs journalism. With its detailed examination of factors influencing current journalistic practice, The Two W's of Journalism complements and expands on the skills and techniques presented in reporting, editing, and news writing textbooks. The perspectives presented here facilitate understanding of the larger role journalism has in society. As such, the volume is an excellent supplemental text for reporting and writing courses, and for introductory courses on journalism. It will also offer valuable insights to practicing journalists.
The Tyranny of Big Tech
by Josh HawleyThe reign of Big Tech is here, and Americans’ First Amendment rights hang by a keystroke. Amassing unimaginable amounts of personal data, giants like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple—once symbols of American ingenuity and freedom—have become a techno-oligarchy with overwhelming economic and political power. Decades of unchecked data collection have given Big Tech more targeted control over Americans’ daily lives than any company or government in the world. <P><P> In The Tyranny of Big Tech, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri argues that these mega-corporations—controlled by the robber barons of the modern era—are the gravest threat to American liberty in decades. To reverse course, Hawley argues, we must correct progressives’ mistakes of the past. <P><P>That means recovering the link between liberty and democratic participation, building an economy that makes the working class strong, independent, and beholden to no one, and curbing the influence of corporate and political elites. <P><P>Big Tech and its allies do not deal gently with those who cross them, and Senator Hawley proudly bears his own battle scars. But hubris is dangerous. The time is ripe to overcome the tyranny of Big Tech by reshaping the business and legal landscape of the digital world. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Tyranny of Public Discourse: Abraham Lincoln’s Six-Element Antidote for Meaningful and Persuasive Writing
by David Hirsch Dan Van HaftenAre you satisfied with the current state of public discourse? The almost unanimous response from people across the nation is a loud and emphatic “No!” The reply is always the same regardless of politics. Today’s public discourse typically starts with a “conclusion” and goes downhill from there. If there are talking heads, argument begins instantly and typically runs in circles. This is a dangerous path for a society that depends upon civility and virtue to survive. The Tyranny of Public Discourse: Abraham Lincoln’s Six-Element Antidote for Meaningful and Persuasive Writing by scholars David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften addresses what is one of the most important issues of our time. This book can teach anyone how to use logic and reason to create persuasive writing. A byproduct of this is the civility that will ensue with an elevated public discourse. The Tyranny of Public Discourse establishes the six elements of a proposition as a verbal form of the scientific method—something Abraham Lincoln knew and used routinely. His logic and reason is so well known that it is quoted today more than 150 years after his death. Learning the six elements and how to use them to discuss any topic at any time is not only fascinating, but fairly easy to understand and implement. This book sets it all out, step-by-step and color coded, from beginning to end. The Tyranny of Public Discourse: Abraham Lincoln’s Six-Element Antidote for Meaningful and Persuasive Writing, complete with 21 diagrams on how to structure your logic, is the book you have been waiting for. The time is short, and the hour is now.
The Tyranny of Words
by Stuart ChaseThe pioneering and still essential text on semantics, urging readers to improve human communication and understanding with precise, concrete language. In 1938, Stuart Chase revolutionized the study of semantics with his classic text, The Tyranny of Words. Decades later, this eminently useful analysis of the way we use words continues to resonate. A contemporary of the economist Thorstein Veblen and the author Upton Sinclair, Chase was a social theorist and writer who despised the imprecision of contemporary communication. Wide-ranging and erudite, this iconic volume was one of the first to condemn the overuse of abstract words and to exhort language users to employ words that make their ideas accurate, complete, and readily understood. &“[A] thoroughly scholarly study of the science of the meaning of words.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“When thinking about words, I think about Stuart Chase&’s The Tyranny of Words. It is one of those books that never lose its message.&” —CounterPunch
U.S. Militarism and the Terrain of Memory: Negotiating Dead Space (Media, War and Security)
by John BechtoldThis book analyzes how the Iraqi city of Fallujah became registered as a setting for military heroics in American memory.In 2004, the U.S. military conducted two disastrous assaults in Fallujah, Iraq. More than 1,000 citizens were killed, and, according to the military’s own estimate, upwards of 200,000 people were displaced because of the violence. Yet, despite this human catastrophe, the kind of information that emerged in the public domain during the battle foregrounded the soldier's experience in war while effacing the destruction of Iraqi bodies. This tendency to foreground the soldier body is a direct result of the military’s intervention in what they conceptualize as the "information environment." This book draws from the second assault in Fallujah as a case study to explicate the military’s investment in this perspectival space, which is a consequence both of the mediatization of contemporary war and of the need to influence knowledge considered unfavorable to military operations. In short, the military enlists the media in their targeting process to produce information that is then deployed as persuasive force to modify the beliefs of specific target populations. When the cultural texts produced by the media are remediated in the public domain after war, they can be thought of as martial constructs because they originated during war through the military’s systemized attempt to influence knowledge. That is, these texts trace to a specific battlefield objective. This book reframes the notion of propaganda as a generalized public relations strategy into a more acute and coordinated attempt to decontextualize specific knowledge in the information environment.This book will be of much interest to students of media and communication studies, war studies, memory studies, and international relations.
UAV Communications: Modeling and Analyses
by Gaofeng Pan Xiaqing Miao Xuanhe Yang Ziyi YangThis book provides a comprehensive treatment of the performance evaluation of UAV communication systems, using stochastic geometry to explore the impact of the random positions of UAVs on transmission performance. The book focuses on engineering practice, with both modeling and analysis of UAV communication systems. It offers an in-depth study of several important UAV communication application scenarios, including UAV-terrestrial communication, UAV-to-UAV communication, satellite-UAV communication, and UAV relay communication.One of the key features of the book is its systematic approach to addressing UAV communication issues and providing practical insights. The book is especially useful for readers interested in learning how to model and analyze the performance of UAV communications systems. It will benefit researchers, engineers, and graduate students in the fields of wireless communications, signal processing, and related areas.
Übersetzen im Wandel: Wie Technologisierung, Automatisierung und Künstliche Intelligenz das Übersetzen verändern
by Christoph Rösener Carmen Canfora Torsten Dörflinger Felix Hoberg Simon VargaDer Fachbereich Translations-, Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft (FTSK) Germersheim der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz feierte im Jahr 2022 sein 75-jähriges Bestehen. Dieses Jubiläum nahm der Germersheimer Arbeitsbereich Allgemeine und Angewandte Sprachwissenschaft sowie Translationstechnologie (ASTT) zum Anlass, im Rahmen einer Tagung 2022 einen Blick nicht auf die Vergangenheit, sondern die Zukunft des Übersetzerberufs zu werfen. Im Zentrum des Interesses standen dabei die Auswirkungen, die der Übersetzerberuf und die Übersetzerausbildung im Zuge des digitalen Wandels erfahren, der insbesondere in Gestalt der Maschinellen Übersetzung und der fortschreitenden Automatisierung von Übersetzungsprozessen die Branche zunehmend prägt.Welche Kompetenzen müssen Studierenden heute vermittelt werden, damit sie in der Berufswelt von morgen ihren Platz finden? Wie kann man sie mit einer positiven Haltung dem digitalen Wandel gegenüber ausstatten und ihnen somit eine aktive Rolle in diesemSystem ermöglichen?
Übersetzungspolitiken in der Frühen Neuzeit / Translation Policy and the Politics of Translation in the Early Modern Period (Übersetzungskulturen der Frühen Neuzeit #3)
by Annkathrin Koppers Felix HerberthAusgangspunkt dieses Konferenzbands im Open Access ist die Frage nach den Bedingungen, die dafür verantwortlich zeichnen, dass überhaupt und in welcher Form in der Frühen Neuzeit übersetzt wird. Anders formuliert geht es um die grundsätzliche Frage danach, warum bestimmte Texte, Bilder, Zeichenkomplexe etc. eine Übersetzung erfahren, während andere unübersetzt bleiben (müssen). Welche Faktoren nehmen schließlich – im positiven Fall – Einfluss auf die konkrete Ausgestaltung von Übersetzung im Sinne des Übertragungsprozesses von einem semiotischen und kulturellen System in ein anderes? In diesem Zusammenhang kommt ein doppeltes Politikverständnis zum Tragen: einerseits geraten Übersetzungspolitik(en) im Sinne des Konzepts der Translation Policy in den Fokus und mit ihnen soziokulturelle, ökonomische und interkulturelle Einflussfaktoren. Andererseits geht es – spezifischer – um Übersetzungen im Kontext politischer Verhandlungs- und Aushandlungsprozesse und somit um den Zusammenhang zwischen Politics und Translation. The point of departure for this conference volume is the question of what conditions are responsible for whether a translation happens at all. Why are certain texts, images, and sign systems translated while others (must) remain untranslated? And what factors influence the form a translation takes in the process of conveying words, images, or signs from one semiotic, cultural system to another? These questions concern both translation policy – that is, the socio-cultural, economic, and intercultural factors that influence translation processes – and the politics of translation in the specific context of political negotiation processes
Übertragungstechnik: Grundlagen und Verfahren der digitalen Basisbandübertragung
by Christoph Lange Andreas AhrensDieses Lehrbuch ist eine einführende Darstellung der Übertragung digitaler Signale über gestörte Kanäle. Schwerpunkt ist die physikalisch-anschauliche und zugleich mathematisch-fundierte Erklärung der Übertragung im Basisband. Dazu werden notwendige Grundlagen der Signal- und Systemtheorie rekapituliert und funktionale Abhängigkeiten bei der Basisbandübertragung herausgearbeitet, um ein Verständnis der grundlegenden Probleme bei der Nachrichtenübertragung zu ermöglichen. Als wichtiger Übertragungskanal wird das Kupferkabel betrachtet und seine übertragungstechnischen Eigenschaften werden mit klassischen elektrotechnischen und systemtheoretischen Methoden beschrieben. Die zuvor beschriebenen Basisbandverfahren werden zur Übertragung über den linear verzerrenden Kanal eines Kupferkabels angewendet und Möglichkeiten der Filterung und Entzerrung erläutert. Dem einführenden Charakter des Lehrbuches entsprechend werden jeweils ausführliche Herleitungen angegeben sowie numerische Beispiele und eine Vielzahl von Abbildungen verwendet.
Überzeugend sprechen in Podcasts und Videos: So gelingt der verbale Auftritt von CEOs, Fach- und Führungskräften
by Jutta TalleyDieses Buch erläutert, was CEOs sowie Fach- und Führungskräfte beachten müssen, um in Podcasts und Videos professionell und souverän aufzutreten. Denn der Auftritt von Unternehmensvertretern in diesen Formaten ist nicht mehr nur Hype, sondern fester Bestandteil einer zeitgemäßen Unternehmenskommunikation. Und das unabhängig davon, ob sie sich nach innen oder nach außen richtet und welche Stakeholder oder Themen sie adressiert. Doch die eigene Zielgruppe am Mikrofon und vor der Kamera zu überzeugen, funktioniert nach speziellen Regeln, und nicht allen fällt der Auftritt hier leicht. Jutta Talley, renommierte Atem-, Sprech- und Stimmlehrerin zeigt, wie der verbale Onlineauftritt gelingt. Sie liefert dazu grundlegendes Wissen, Best Cases, hilfreiche Übungen und Techniken sowie Tipps aus ihrer eigenen Praxis und von weiteren Experten und Expertinnen.Nachdem Sie das Buch gelesen haben, werden Sie im Podcast und Video deutlicher und vor allem präsenter sprechen können, Sie werden Ihr Lampenfieber souveräner steuern können sowie mit Leichtigkeit die Aufmerksamkeit von Zuhörenden bekommen und behalten.
Ubiquitous Computing
by Stefan PosladThis book provides an introduction to the complex field of ubiquitous computingUbiquitous Computing (also commonly referred to as Pervasive Computing) describes the ways in which current technological models, based upon three base designs: smart (mobile, wireless, service) devices, smart environments (of embedded system devices) and smart interaction (between devices), relate to and support a computing vision for a greater range of computer devices, used in a greater range of (human, ICT and physical) environments and activities. The author details the rich potential of ubiquitous computing, the challenges involved in making it a reality, and the prerequisite technological infrastructure. Additionally, the book discusses the application and convergence of several current major and future computing trends. Key Features:Provides an introduction to the complex field of ubiquitous computingDescribes how current technology models based upon six different technology form factors which have varying degrees of mobility wireless connectivity and service volatility: tabs, pads, boards, dust, skins and clay, enable the vision of ubiquitous computingDescribes and explores how the three core designs (smart devices, environments and interaction) based upon current technology models can be applied to, and can evolve to, support a vision of ubiquitous computing and computing for the futureCovers the principles of the following current technology models, including mobile wireless networks, service-oriented computing, human computer interaction, artificial intelligence, context-awareness, autonomous systems, micro-electromechanical systems, sensors, embedded controllers and robotsCovers a range of interactions, between two or more UbiCom devices, between devices and people (HCI), between devices and the physical world.Includes an accompanying website with PowerPoint slides, problems and solutions, exercises, bibliography and further readingGraduate students in computer science, electrical engineering and telecommunications courses will find this a fascinating and useful introduction to the subject. It will also be of interest to ICT professionals, software and network developers and others interested in future trends and models of computing and interaction over the next decades.
Ubiquitous Information Technologies and Applications
by Doo-Soon Park Sang-Soo Yeo Weijia Jia Youn-Hee HanRecent advances in electronic and computer technologies have paved the way for the proliferation of ubiquitous computing and innovative applications that incorporate these technologies. This proceedings book describes these new and innovative technologies, and covers topics like Ubiquitous Communication and Networks, Security Systems, Smart Devices and Applications, Cloud and Grid Systems, Service-oriented and Web Service Computing, Embedded Hardware and Image Processing and Multimedia.
Ubiquitous Translation (Routledge Advances in Translation and Interpreting Studies)
by Piotr BlumczynskiIn this book, Piotr Blumczynski explores the central role of translation as a key epistemological concept as well as a hermeneutic, ethical, linguistic and interpersonal practice. His argument is three-fold: (1) that translation provides a basis for genuine, exciting, serious, innovative and meaningful exchange between various areas of the humanities through both a concept (the WHAT) and a method (the HOW); (2) that, in doing so, it questions and challenges many of the traditional boundaries and offers a transdisciplinary epistemological paradigm, leading to a new understanding of quality, and thus also meaning, truth, and knowledge; and (3) that translational phenomena are studied by a broad range of disciplines in the humanities (including philosophy, theology, linguistics, and anthropology) using various, often seemingly unrelated concepts which nevertheless display a considerable degree of qualitative proximity. The common thread running through all these convictions and binding them together is the insistence that translational phenomena are ubiquitous. Because of its unconventional and innovative approach, this book will be of interest to translation studies scholars looking to situate their research within a broader transdisciplinary model, as well as to students of translation programs and practicing translators who seek a fuller understanding of why and how translation matters.
Ugly
by Robert HogeA beaut story about one very ugly kid.Robert Hoge was born with a tumour in the middle of his face, and legs that weren't much use. There wasn't another baby like him in the whole of Australia, let alone Brisbane. But the rest of his life wasn't so unusual: he had a mum and a dad, brothers and sisters, friends at school and in his street. He had childhood scrapes and days at the beach; fights with his family and trouble with his teachers.He had doctors, too: lots of doctors who, when he was still very young, removed that tumour from his face and operated on his legs, then stitched him back together. He still looked different, though. He still looked ... ugly.UGLY is the true story of how an extraordinary boy grew up to have an ordinary life, and how that became his greatest achievement of all.
An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination
by Sheera Frenkel Cecilia Kang'The ultimate takedown' New York Times'The problem of Facebook is Zuckerberg. And the question posed by this splendid book is: what are we going to do about him?' Observer'A comprehensive account . . . drawn from first-hand testimonies. Thoroughly engaging' The Times'What marks this book out is how it gets under the corporate bonnet . . . to build a picture of astounding corporate arrogance and irresponsibility' Sunday Times'An explosive new book' Daily Mail__________________________________________Award-winning New York Times reporters Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang unveil the tech story of our times in a riveting, behind-the-scenes exposé that offers the definitive account of Facebook's fall from grace. Once one of Silicon Valley's greatest success stories, for the past five years, Facebook has been under constant fire, roiled by controversies and crises. It turns out that while the tech giant was connecting the world, they were also mishandling users' data, allowing the spread of fake news, and the amplification of dangerous, polarising hate speech. Critics framed the narrative as the irreconcilable conflict between the platform's lofty mission to advance society by bringing people together while also profiting off of them. The company, many said, had simply lost its way. But the truth is far more complex. Drawing on their unrivalled sources, Frenkel and Kang take readers inside the complex court politics, alliances and rivalries within the company, its growing political influence as well as its skirmishes with privacy groups and the FTC, to shine a light on the fatal cracks in the architecture of the tech behemoth. Their explosive, exclusive reporting led them to a shocking conclusion: The missteps of the last five years were not an anomaly but an inevitability - this is how the platform was built to perform. In a period of great upheaval, growth has remained the one constant under the leadership of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Each has stood by as their technology is co-opted by hate-mongers, criminals and corrupt political regimes across the globe, with devastating consequences. In An Ugly Truth, they are at last held accountable.
An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination (Language Acts and Worldmaking #29)
by Sheera Frenkel Cecilia Kang'The ultimate takedown' New York Times'The problem of Facebook is Zuckerberg. And the question posed by this splendid book is: what are we going to do about him?' Observer'A comprehensive account . . . drawn from first-hand testimonies. Thoroughly engaging' The Times'What marks this book out is how it gets under the corporate bonnet . . . to build a picture of astounding corporate arrogance and irresponsibility' Sunday Times'An explosive new book' Daily Mail__________________________________________Award-winning New York Times reporters Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang unveil the tech story of our times in a riveting, behind-the-scenes exposé that offers the definitive account of Facebook's fall from grace. Once one of Silicon Valley's greatest success stories, for the past five years, Facebook has been under constant fire, roiled by controversies and crises. It turns out that while the tech giant was connecting the world, they were also mishandling users' data, allowing the spread of fake news, and the amplification of dangerous, polarising hate speech. Critics framed the narrative as the irreconcilable conflict between the platform's lofty mission to advance society by bringing people together while also profiting off of them. The company, many said, had simply lost its way. But the truth is far more complex. Drawing on their unrivalled sources, Frenkel and Kang take readers inside the complex court politics, alliances and rivalries within the company, its growing political influence as well as its skirmishes with privacy groups and the FTC, to shine a light on the fatal cracks in the architecture of the tech behemoth. Their explosive, exclusive reporting led them to a shocking conclusion: The missteps of the last five years were not an anomaly but an inevitability - this is how the platform was built to perform. In a period of great upheaval, growth has remained the one constant under the leadership of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Each has stood by as their technology is co-opted by hate-mongers, criminals and corrupt political regimes across the globe, with devastating consequences. In An Ugly Truth, they are at last held accountable.
An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination
by Sheera Frenkel Cecilia KangINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER// WINNER OF THE SABEW BEST IN BUSINESS AWARDA Book of the Year: Fortune, Foreign Affairs, The Times (London), Cosmopolitan, TechCrunch, WIRED“The ultimate takedown.” –New York Times Book ReviewAward-winning New York Times reporters Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang unveil the tech story of our times in a riveting, behind-the-scenes exposé that offers the definitive account of Facebook’s fall from grace. Once one of Silicon Valley’s greatest success stories, Facebook has been under constant fire for the past five years, roiled by controversies and crises. It turns out that while the tech giant was connecting the world, they were also mishandling users’ data, spreading fake news, and amplifying dangerous, polarizing hate speech.The company, many said, had simply lost its way. But the truth is far more complex. Leadership decisions enabled, and then attempted to deflect attention from, the crises. Time after time, Facebook’s engineers were instructed to create tools that encouraged people to spend as much time on the platform as possible, even as those same tools boosted inflammatory rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and partisan filter bubbles. And while consumers and lawmakers focused their outrage on privacy breaches and misinformation, Facebook solidified its role as the world’s most voracious data-mining machine, posting record profits, and shoring up its dominance via aggressive lobbying efforts.Drawing on their unrivaled sources, Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang take readers inside the complex court politics, alliances and rivalries within the company to shine a light on the fatal cracks in the architecture of the tech behemoth. Their explosive, exclusive reporting led them to a shocking conclusion: The missteps of the last five years were not an anomaly but an inevitability—this is how Facebook was built to perform. In a period of great upheaval, growth has remained the one constant under the leadership of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Both have been held up as archetypes of uniquely 21st century executives—he the tech “boy genius” turned billionaire, she the ultimate woman in business, an inspiration to millions through her books and speeches. But sealed off in tight circles of advisers and hobbled by their own ambition and hubris, each has stood by as their technology is coopted by hate-mongers, criminals and corrupt political regimes across the globe, with devastating consequences. In An Ugly Truth, they are at last held accountable.
An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination
by Sheera Frenkel Cecilia KangThe award-winning insiders’ account of the scandals and toxic culture at Facebook—“thorough, high-caliber investigative reporting” (Kirkus, starred review).In An Ugly Truth, New York Times reporters Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang present a behind-the-scenes exposé of Facebook’s fall from grace. They reveal explosive details about how the tech giant set out to connect the world—while also mishandling users’ data, spreading fake news, and amplifying dangerous, polarizing hate speech. The company, many said, had simply lost its way. But the truth is far more complex. Facebook’s engineers were instructed to create tools that encouraged people to spend as much time on the platform as possible, even if that meant promoting inflammatory rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and partisan filter bubbles. And while consumers and lawmakers were outraged by privacy breaches and misinformation, Facebook solidified its role as the world’s most voracious data-mining machine, posting record profits, and shoring up its dominance via aggressive lobbying efforts.Drawing on their unrivaled sources, Frenkel and Kang take readers inside the alliances and rivalries within the company to demonstrate that the company’s “missteps” were no such thing—this is how Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg built Facebook to perform. In An Ugly Truth, they are at last held accountable. A Book of the Year: Fortune, Foreign Affairs, The Times (London), Cosmopolitan, TechCrunch, WIRED
Ukraine 22: Ukrainian Writers Respond to War
by Mark Andryczyk'The extraordinary writers in this volume articulate the taste, the terror, and the dialect of war; they command their powers of description to face a shameless empire intent on annihilating them' Ellena SavageA selection of Ukraine's leading writers convey the reality of life within Ukraine during the first year of the invasionOn 24 February 2022, the lives of Ukrainians were devastatingly altered. Since that day, many of Ukraine's writers have attempted to fathom what is happening to them and to their country. This anthology brings together writing from inside Ukraine, by Ukrainians, available in English for the first time. Here they document everyday life, ponder the role of culture amid conflict, denounce Russian imperialism and revisit their relations with the world, especially Europe and its ideals, as they try to comprehend the horrors of war.From tearing-downs of Russia's use of culture as justification of the war to moving descriptions of nights spent sheltering in corridors, poignant snatched moments with a husband on his single night away from the army, to descriptions of the eerie weather in the months leading up to the invasion, as if nature was trying to warn Ukraine, these essays reveal the texture, rawness and reality of life in Ukraine under war as never before.
Ulrike Meinhof and the Red Army Faction
by Leith PassmoreWith a communicative approach to the phenomenon of terrorism and new archival sources, the book documents Meinhof's journalism and terrorism (1959-1976) and challenges many of the established narratives that have calcified around the story of Meinhof and the history of Germany's most infamous terrorist group.
The Ultimate Book of Sales Techniques: 75 Ways to Master Cold Calling, Sharpen Your Unique Selling Proposition, and Close the Sale
by Stephan SchiffmanThe secrets of breakout selling!Using his thirty years of experience training corporate sales forces, Stephan Schiffman has put together a collection of the most essential techniques for succeeding in the field. From getting leads and cold calling to establishing a solid relationship and closing the deal, Schiffman covers everything you need to know in order to improve your performance and make the sale. Inside this book, you'll find his proven sales philosophy, which includes such elements as:Sales don't happen unless questions are asked.An objection is an opportunity in disguise.A salesperson's responsibility is to help the client solve a problem.No one ever made a good sale by interrupting a client. Whether you're new to the field or looking for a quick refresher, you will finally be able to beat out the competition and take your career to the next level with The Ultimate Book of Sales Techniques!