New Dark Age

Technology and the End of the Future

By: James Bridle

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

As the world around us increases in technological complexity, our understanding of it diminishes. Underlying this trend is a single idea: The belief that our existence is understandable through computation, and more data is enough to help us build a better world.

In reality, we are lost in a sea of information, increasingly divided by fundamentalism, simplistic narratives, conspiracy theories, and post-factual politics. Meanwhile, those in power use our lack of understanding to further their own interests. Despite the apparent accessibility of information, we're living in a new Dark Age.

From rogue financial systems to shopping algorithms, from artificial intelligence to state secrecy, we no longer understand how our world is governed or presented to us. The media is filled with unverifiable speculation, much of it generated by anonymous software, while companies dominate their employees through surveillance and the threat of automation.

In his brilliant new work, leading artist and writer James Bridle surveys the history of art, technology, and information systems and reveals the dark clouds that gather over our dreams of the digital sublime.

©2018 James Bridle (P)2019 Tantor

Critic reviews

"New Dark Age is among the most unsettling and illuminating books I've read about the Internet, which is to say that it is among the most unsettling and illuminating books I've read about contemporary life." (New Yorker)

Pay No Attention to the Data behind the curtain…

Bridle gives us the glimpse behind the curtain at the powerful, if nonsensical, data that humanity has created and grown; made exponential by algorithms and AI that we also created.
The truth this book offers is unpleasant, but necessary for us to understand how we got here… and if we’re lucky, how to get out.

Good and bad

Good book voiced by a terrible reader. Was a bit hard to not be distracted by the weirdly hyperemotionalized tone of the reader.

The Title Caught My Attention, I Laughed!

Like I said, the title caught my attention and I laughed. I didn't even read the description I pre-ordered it right away!

This book is great to listen too. It's refreshing each chapter. I enjoyed listening to the narrator Emily she brought the book more to life. Like technology today we use it so much every day. I mean, if you are curious about it might as well get this book. I won't give away any spoilers but I'll say it does have political stuff in the book. The focus is more on technology and actions of them in question.

I give a 5 star for overall, performance, and story. The opinions is quite interesting with some humor and foul language. I would recommend this book to a friend or anyone who is a computer geek.

Half empty glass

This is a dense book with a very pessimistic view of our future. Interesting to understand some of the big issues we have with our modernity.

Due to COVID, I believe this book would benefit from an update to talk about how humanity has been affected , from the drug development to social media spread of misinformation around the disease and vaccination.

Also, I believe that a conclusion chapter tying together all the subjects would be great. Even if it is just to wrap up the concepts presented earlier.

Terrible narration

Please consider re-releasing with different narrator. It’s an very interesting book and the narrator makes it sound like a children’s horror story. I can’t even finish listening to it. Extremely annoying.

incredible account and masterfully motivated

It is hard to dismiss the arguements laid out in this book, jumping from one setting to the other to identify and give tangible meaning to the illusive yet growing feeling or perception that many have towards the developments of recent years, throttling mindlessly towards the unknown at best or inflicting irreparable damage while at it.

it was pure joy to hear the near artistic performance of the narrator capturing the highs and lows the author probably wanted the reader to rollercoaster through.

Difficult narration, book has its problems too

I was so interested in the subject/content of New Dark Age, I thought I could get past the narrator (who sounds a bit like Julia Sweeny's "Pat" character from early 90s SNL juiced up on Red Bull). The book's content did hold my attention over half-way through, but in the end, the narration killed it for me.

The book itself (which I ordered in hard copy) has issues too: endless run-on paragraphs, rambling from anecdote to anecdote, idea to idea, with no clear breaks, all of which are only made worse by the hokey narration. In another writer's/editor's hands -- Jaron Lanier comes to mind -- NDA could have been much clearer and accessible, even entertaining. Still recommended for the importance of the content, but don't expect an easy or enjoyable read/listen.

Interesting but the narration sucks.

Good information. The narrator was overly dramatic and seemed to have had no idea what she was reading.

Completely Unlistenable

I’ve tried multiple times to listen to this book to no avail. I’ve gone through about 50 audiobooks in the past few years and I have to say this is the worst performance I’ve heard by miles. Please re-release, this narrator should pursue another line of work because her mode of delivery is absolutely unbearable! How does something like this happen? It’s almost comical how bad this is, I would burst out laughing if my skin wasn’t crawling…

Good book, awful narration

The text is great but the narration is nearly unlistenable, worse than any book I’ve ever purchased through audible. The tone is horribly mismatched for the content. The narrator overemphasizes almost every word, it sounds as if they are doing an exaggerated impression of a newscaster through the entire book.