Those of us born before 1980 increasingly cannot recognize the world around us. A technical revolution has split our society into “analog” and “digital” cultures. We now struggle to live simultaneously in both – one rooted in books and personal contacts and the other oriented toward a vast global computer network that sends us news and entertainment at a click. Can old analog values survive in this new digital universe? Our conversation, led by technology expert Alex Alben, explores how digital inventions are shaping communication, political discourse and today’s media landscape.
For nearly two decades, Alex Alben has played a leadership role in companies that pioneered the field of digital media, including Realnetworks. Alben’s career began as a researcher for Walter Cronkite and later for Mike Wallace at CBS Reports. A graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School, his current work centers on applying intellectual property law for traditional media productsto new products for digital distribution.
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