History of Privacy
Lane, Frederick S. American Privacy: The 400-Year History of Our Most Contested Right. Boston: Beacon Press, 2009.
Analysis of the role of privacy in the development of the United States and how the idea of privacy has evolved.
Miller, Richard E. On the End of Privacy: Dissolving Boundaries in a Screen-Centric World. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019.
Analysis of the ways digital technology has impacted our understanding of privacy.
Moore, Barrington, Jr. Privacy: Studies in Social and Cultural History. New York: Routledge, 2018.
Analysis of the role of privacy in several different communities worldwide.
Zuboff, Shoshana. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. New York: PublicAffairs, 2019.
Analysis of the ways consumers’ private data is mined by corporations for financial gain.
Impact of Digital Technology
Burroughs, William S. The Electronic Revolution. Ubu Classics, 2005. http://www.ubu.com/historical/burroughs/
Exploration of electronic media as a means of controlling the citizenry. Originally published in 1970.
Lanier, Jaron. You Are Not a Gadget. Vintage, 2011.
Analysis of the role of digital media in controlling our lives.
Richtel, Matt. “Your Brain on Computers: Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction.” The New York Times, 21 Nov. 2010, p. A1. https://nyti.ms/2G3SNIZ
Analysis of the ways in which digital media has altered our brain functioning.
Sale, Kirpatrick. Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites And Their War On The Industrial Revolution: Lessons For The Computer Age. Addison-Wesley, 1995.
Draws parallels between the industrial advances that lead to the Luddite revolution of the 19th century and the modern advances in technology.
Science and Technology Facilities Council. A Brief History of The Digital Revolution, infographic. https://stfc.ukri.org/files/digital-revolution-infographic/
Image displaying the evolution of digital media since 1947.
Shannon, Claude E. and Warren Weaver. The Mathematical Theory of Communication. The University of Illinois Press, 1964.
A reprinting of two papers from 1948 and 1949 discussing communication theory and the impact of electronic media on the future of communication.
Twenge, Jean M. “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The Atlantic, Sept. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/
Discussion of the impact of smartphones on millennials.
Webb, Amy. “Are You an Amazon or an Apple Family?” The New York Times, 10 Mar. 2019, p. SR9. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/opinion/sunday/10Webb.html
Article discussing the future of “smart-home” technology.
Webb, Amy. The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity. New York: Public Affairs, 2019.
Analysis of the ways in which both corporations and governments are using digital technologies to control populations.
Fiction Dealing with Privacy and Technology
Bradbury, Ray. The Golden Apples of the Sun. “The Pedestrian.” New York: Perennial, 1990.
A short story that explores privacy in a world where digital technology has become ubiquitous and expected of citizens.
Dick, Philip K. The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories. “The Minority Report.” New York: Citadel, 1987.
A short story set in a future society where serious crime has been eliminated thanks to three “precogs” who can see crimes before they occur.
Eggers, Dave. The Circle. New York: Knopf, 2013
A novel set in a society where a social media company has grown more powerful than the government. Focuses on the character Mae who begins working for the company and slowly changes to achieve success.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet, 1977.
A novel set in a future world controlled by a fascist regime, in which constant surveillance is used to ensure obedience. Focuses on the character Winston Smith who decides to rebel against the society by writing in a diary.
Vonnegut, Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron.” Welcome to the Monkey House. Dial Press, 1998, pp. 131-45.
A short story set in a society where all citizens have been made equal by creating artificial handicaps for those who achieve physical or intellectual superiority.
Zamiatin, Eugene. We. New York: E.P.Dutton, 1952.
A novella set in a future society where citizens live without privacy and devote their existence to a communal way of life.
Legal Issues with Digital Technology and Privacy
“At Harvard Law, Zittrain and Zuckerberg discuss encryption, ‘information fiduciaries’ and targeted advertisements.” Harvard Law Today. 20 Feb. 2019. today.law.harvard.edu/at-harvard-law-zittrain-and-zuckerberg-discuss-encryption-information-fiduciaries-and-targeted-advertisements
Discussion of the ways in which Facebook utilizes user information.
Boyd, Danah. It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale, 2014.
Analysis of the generational differences in the use of social media and digital technology.
“Google Fights French 'Right to Be Forgotten' in EU Court.” Science Y Network. 11 Sept. 2018. phys.org/news/2018-09-google-french-forgotten-eu-court.html
Discussion of the legal battle over the European “Right to Be Forgotten.”
Lapowsky, Issie. “Get Ready for a Privacy Law Showdown in 2019.” Wired. 27 Dec. 2018. www.wired.com/story/privacy-law-showdown-congress-2019/
Discussion of possible legislation on the United States limiting individual privacy in favor of corporate rights.
Siddiqui, Ali. “Mark Zuckerberg claims that the foundation of Facebook was built on the basis of safeguarding users' privacy.” Digital Information World. 26 February 2019. www.digitalinformationworld.com/2019/02/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-privacy-innovator.html
Discussion of the ways in which Facebook utilizes user information.
Van Voorhis, Scott. “Facebook Investors Unfazed Amid Another Privacy Mess.” The Street. 25 Dec. 2019. www.thestreet.com/markets/facebook-investors-unfazed-amid-another-privacy-mess-14876537
Discussion of the ways in which Facebook utilizes user information.
Zittrain, Jonathan. “Facebook Can Still Fix This Mess.” The New York Times, 8 Apr. 2018, p. SR3. nyti.ms/2EsJ0La
Discussion of the ways in which Facebook utilizes user information.
“Zittrain and Zuckerberg discuss encryption, ‘information fiduciaries’ and targeted advertisements.” YouTube, uploaded by Harvard Law School, 20 Feb. 2019, youtu.be/WGchhsKhG-A
Discussion of the ways in which Facebook utilizes user information.
Education and Digital Technology
Greenhow, Christine, Beth Robelia and Joan E. Hughes. “Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age: Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now?” Educational Researcher, vol. 38, no. 4, 1 May 2009, pp. 246-59. doi.org/10.3102/0013189X09336671
Discussion of the implications of classroom use of digital media on education.
Robinson, Thomas N. and Dina L. G. Borzekowski. “Effects of the SMART Classroom Curriculum to Reduce Child and Family Screen Time.” Journal of Communication, vol. 56, no. 1, 1 March 2006, Pages 1–26. academic.oup.com/joc/article/56/1/1/4102676
Discussion of the implications of classroom use of digital media on education.
