Canvas8 will host ‘Digital Vertigo: A cautionary tale for our connected world with Andrew Keen

The latest in Canvas8’s Thought Leadership series welcomes Andrew Keen, author of Cult of the Amateur and, more recently, the social media exposé Digital Vertigo.

The advent of social media has brought about the most wrenching cultural transformation since the Industrial Revolution. But, as the digital gold rush subsides, what does the future of social engagement mean for brands?

People, followed by brands, have rushed to stockpile online accounts and pages, and new platforms have sprung up or been sold for bewildering amounts. It's easy to see why. Social media can reach a wide audience in a direct and cost-effective manner - and in a world where Klout considers Justin Bieber to be more influential than Barack Obama, and Facebook will soon top one billion users, the pressure to be online and sociable is immense.

 However, as social media has become embedded in our day-to-day lives, concerns have been raised around personal data, relationships have been redefined, and privacy has become a luxury.

 Canvas8 and Constable & Robinson are delighted to invite Andrew Keen to discuss Digital Vertigo, a unique interrogation of the social media world. With references to Hitchcock and Zuckerberg, Andrew reframes current debates to provide a compelling counter-argument to grandiose social media claims.

 Sir Martin Sorrell described Digital Vertigo “as one of the few books on the subject that, twenty years from now, will be seen to have got it right.”

 Digital Vertigo explores people’s attitudes and offers a cautionary tale for brands, forcing them to reconsider the legitimacy - and even necessity - of their social media campaigns.

Speaker

Andrew Keen

Andrew Keen is an entrepreneur, writer, broadcaster and public speaker. As a Silicon Valley pioneer he founded Audiocafe.com in 1995, which he built into a popular first-generation internet music company.

 He is currently the host of the popular Techcrunch chat show Keen On, a columnist for CNN, and a regular commentator for many newspapers, radio and television networks around the world.

 Andrew is also an experienced and acclaimed speaker who regularly addresses the impact of digital technologies on 21st-century business, education and society.

 He is the author of the international hit book Cult of the Amateur, in which he provides a critique of user- generated content websites such as Wikipedia, YouTube, Digg and Reddit. His latest book, Digital Vertigo, goes one step further and presents a compelling counter-argument to the social media revolution.

Format & Tickets:

−      2 x 30-minute talks with questions.

−      Doors open at 6.30pm, with speakers to start at 7.00pm sharp.

−      Tickets are strictly limited, so if you can't make it please let us know by email or Twitter @canvas8.

−      Please register for tickets please register here http://digitalvertigo.eventbrite.com/

 For more information about the event or Canvas8, please contact:

 Lynsey Woods, lynsey@canvas8.com, +44 (0)207 392 2201

http://www.canvas8.com