Abstract

ABSTRACT

For the last 18 months I’ve been working on a book project aimed at addressing the surprising level of public ignorance about the Internet and its implications. What, I wondered, is the minimal set of concepts that laymen—and women—would need to grasp in order to have a rounded appreciation of the Internet phenomenon? Drawing on the work of George Miller, I’ve come up with his ‘magical number’ of ideas, which I will outline in my presentation. I’ll be intrigued to know what an informed audience makes of them.

About the speaker

John Naughton is Professor of the Public Understanding of Technology at the Open University, a Fellow of Wolfson, the Observer’s Internet columnist, Academic Adviser to the Arcadia Project and an inveterate blogger.

Please confirm your intent to attend to the Arcadia Administrator, Michelle Heydon: mh569@cam.ac.uk