The Third Information Crisis By Naomi Alderman

Written and read by Naomi Alderman

Produced by Di Speirs.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

After writing and printing, Naomi Alderman argues that digital communication has brought about the third great information crisis.

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In this wide-ranging series, award-winning novelist Naomi Alderman, author of The Power and The Future, argues we are living through the third great information crisis. Following the invention of writing, and then printing, we now have digital communications technology. In what she describes as a 'speculative historical project', Naomi traces the parallels between these moments, asking if we can learn from the past to help us cope with the ‘enormous wave of information' from the internet and social media that we are all faced with today. Drawing on the work of philosophers and historians, she explores the way new technologies open up new ways of thinking and their enormous impact on our society.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman

Produced by Di Speirs.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

After writing and printing, Naomi Alderman argues that digital communication has brought about the third great information crisis.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman

Produced by Di Speirs.

The first information crisis: writing.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

The invention of writing brought about our first information crisis.

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In this episode, Naomi considers the impact of the first information crisis – the invention of writing. Before writing, she argues. ‘there was - in a real sense – no such thing as history'. The advent of writing enabled belief systems to flourish, brought into question old hierarchical structures, and sped up our culture forever. But did it also devalue shared memory, and traditional oral cultures, meaning societies came to value elderly people less?

Written and read by Naomi Alderman

Produced by Di Speirs.

The first information crisis: writing.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

The invention of writing brought about our first information crisis.

Thanks to printing, more people than ever before could access, and form a personal and private relationship with, the Bible.

This move to individualism is, she argues, echoed by our online behaviour today 'once we're able to access more information for ourselves ..we start to trust ourselves in new way'.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman

Produced by Di Speirs and Nicola Holloway.

The arrival of printing.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

The second great information crisis: the invention of the printing press.

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Naomi Alderman takes us back to the Protestant Reformation to explore the impact of the second great information crisis - the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century.

Thanks to printing, more people than ever before could access, and form a personal and private relationship with, the Bible.

This move to individualism is, she argues, echoed by our online behaviour today 'once we're able to access more information for ourselves ..we start to trust ourselves in new way'.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman

Produced by Di Speirs and Nicola Holloway.

The arrival of printing.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

The second great information crisis: the invention of the printing press.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman, produced by Di Speirs.

Our third crisis: digital communication.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

Naomi Alderman considers the way that the internet and digital communication have changed our world, offering us huge amounts of information, very fast.

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Naomi reflects on the speed and scale of the internet; the sense of community and equality it can create but also the current dangers of misinformation, group-think, and ultimately, the threat to truth. The psychological effects on individuals are profound: ‘it's not stupid to be anxious or to feel that truth is under attack' argues Naomi ‘We're learning that truth is extremely complex. It's hard to bear'.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman, produced by Di Speirs.

Our third crisis: digital communication.

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

Naomi Alderman considers the way that the internet and digital communication have changed our world, offering us huge amounts of information, very fast.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman. Produced by Di Speirs and Nicola Holloway

How can we cope with the challenges of digital communication?

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

Naomi asks how best we can flourish as digital communication changes our world.

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In this final episode Naomi Alderman explores the opportunities offered by this current information crisis, how it could expand our minds and our world. What, she asks, are the positive impacts of this super-fast flow of facts and knowledge? While we may face some short term turbulence, Naomi believes ‘we are trying to do something extraordinary as a species' and it's this that gives her hope.

Written and read by Naomi Alderman. Produced by Di Speirs and Nicola Holloway

How can we cope with the challenges of digital communication?

Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.

Naomi asks how best we can flourish as digital communication changes our world.