Gizmodo Asks Douglas Rushkoff About His Geek Origins



New York-based Douglas Rushkoff is a writer closely associated with the early days of cyberpunk, but these days marks himself out as an open-source advocate and media theorist — he’s the man who coined terms like “viral media” and “social currency”. But how did he get his Geek start?

Gizmodo is traversing the interwebs to chat with geeky celebrities who we’ve always wanted to meet — for this new series sponsored by developer hub, La La Ninja.

Rushkoff’s work explores the role of technology — especially the internet — in shaping media, marketing and the way we humans interact with each other. As you’ll see in this video, he’s a bloody clever guy. His point encouraging deeper understanding of the tools we use and consume (lest you be the one ultimately worked over) still has me thinking.

That theme is central in his latest book: Program or be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age, which is recommended reading. He’s also got a new graphic novel: A.D.D.: Adolescent Demo Division that has been described as Ender’s Game meets Hunger Games.

I’ve been a fan for years: ever since my sister gave me a copy of his first Sci-Fi fiction novel, Ecstasy Club, back in 1997. Since then, Rushkoff has focused largely on non-fiction books (including Media Virus: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture) and award-winning documentaries such as Digital Nation, Life Inc, and The Persuaders.


Have a suggestion for who we should chat with next? Let us know below!

Submit your own Geek Origin Story over at La La Ninja for your chance to win one of 2 Xbox 360s. Who knows, maybe we’ll chat with you next!?
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