The Gentrification of the Internet

"This is a powerful model of engaged, twenty-first century social criticism. Writing in the tradition of Jane Jacobs, Margaret Mead, and Rebecca Solnit, Jessa Lingel is a formidable new critical voice in America. "—Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of Antisocial Media and The Googlization of Everything "The Gentrification of the Internet deftly dismantles romanticized notions of Big Tech, helping readers understand the internet as a site of increasing isolation, commodification, surveillance, and displacement. This readable and accessible book will definitely be required reading for all my courses. " --Clemencia Rodríguez, Professor of Media Studies, Temple University "Jessa Lingel’s book persuasively demonstrates that gentrification and its consequences in terms of displacement, isolation and commercialization has migrated from the realm of the urban economy to the internet. A revealing account of the way the digital world has transitioned from a space for DIY countercultures to a playground for the corporate oligarchy. "--Paolo Gerbaudo, Director of the Centre for Digital Culture at King’s College London