Astra Taylor to speak about impact of digital economy on creativity in Vancouver

Are you skeptical of the self-serving, techno-utopian rhetoric of corporate execs? You might enjoy Canadian-born writer Astra Taylor's book The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age (Random House Canada).

In the book, published in March, Taylor argues that the Internet hasn’t democratized culture but made power less visible. “Preferential attachment, network effects, and the power laws they produce matter, in part, because they intensify and epitomize the old inequities we hoped the Internet would overthrow, from the star system to the hit-driven manufacturing of movies, music, and books,” Taylor writes. “Winner-take-all markets promote certain types of culture at the expense of others, can make it harder for niche cultures and late bloomers to flourish, and contribute to broader income inequality.”

On October 16, Taylor is coming to Vancouver for a talk and panel discussion. Artists' Legal Outreach and Books on the Radio are presenting the event, entitled "The Future of Creativity: Ideas for a Digital Age".

The event will take place in the theatre at UBC Robson Square. Taylor's talk begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $10.