Table of Contents
Data and Power: Big Data and Corporate Control in Modern America is a book I published my freshman year at Stanford. The summer before I arrived on campus, I began researching technology and society, curious to understand the odd world of Silicon Valley. That research spawned what I thought would be a short essay but what then became a full-length book. It's available for purchase on Amazon.
Data and Power examines big data and corporate control in modern America. It begins with a startling investigation of the ubiquity of big data in modern society. It then examines economic inequality in America, several Supreme Court decisions and legislative changes affecting campaign finance, and the social power of the top technology and digital media corporations. It concludes with a call to action against unwarranted concentration of power. Fundamentally, Data and Power is a passionate and heavily-researched argument for raising awareness so that we, the American public, can manage the inevitable challenges big data will pose.
Cover Painting
The cover of Data and Power is a painting I created specifically for the book called BIG DATA IS WATCHING YOU (see above). You may notice references to The Great Gatsby, 1984, and other classic works. Read the book for a detailed description of the symbolism!
Excerpt
Here's an excerpt from the book:
Crowdfunding
One of my favorite parts of the Data and Power project is that my community funded it — and I am forever grateful for that. I crowdfunded the money I needed to publish the book and do some basic marketing.
As a fun piece of histoy, below is my Indiegogo crowdfunding video, recorded when I was home for Christmas break my freshman year in college. It's quite cringy for me to watch now! I was trying so hard to impress the people I'd later ask for support and donations from. But it's an interesting look at how I was telling the story at the time.