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Quote by Astra Taylor

“Early on, America took one path and went down the advertising road, and in the UK they founded the BBC and developed a different kind of public broadcasting. There was a point where TV was so beholden to commercial interest that people - civil society - actually rose up and said, "This is ridiculous: we have our soap-selling soap operas, cigarette-sponsored news broadcast; we have our rigged quiz shows - let's put some checks and balances here."”

Quote by Astra Taylor

Author

Astra Taylor is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and writer, known for her in-depth exploration of social and political issues. Born in 1979, she has been producing documentaries since the 2000s, and her work has received international recognition. more

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“Technology and television didn't dictate one path or the other - it was civil society and public policy intervening in creating alternative funding models. So I think that's one of the questions for our time: do we want to intervene in this model or completely acquiesce and leave it to the unfettered, not-actually-that-free market? Neither path is inevitable.”

Thinking Want Technology Path Policy Television Creating Models Alternatives Inevitable Our Time Free Market Funding Civil Society Public Policy Intervening

Author:Astra Taylor

“think there's a culture of Silicon Valley that seems to have the attitude that you can have it both ways, that you can be an insurgent but also, ultimately, it's paid for by advertising, when in fact advertising is totally retrograde. Now that's an industry we should be disrupting, and maybe you disrupt it by funding public media. None of this is technological destiny; there are only social choices.”

Thinking Way Should Facts Seems Choices Culture Social Attitude Destiny Media Industry Paid Advertising Valleys Technological Funding Silicon Silicon Valley Insurgent Retrograde

Author:Astra Taylor

“I still do a lot of shows with Brian Koonin, but we haven't had a full band lately.”

Stills Shows Havens Band Brian

Author:David Johansen

“Again, it does seem like frustration is mounting in interesting ways, but I'm not sure there will be some dramatic tipping point. Then again, looking back on the history of television, you never know. People had to fight and articulate the politics and the rationale for different funding mechanisms. That was a long and drawn-out battle fought in different countries; it's not like BBC and the CBC in Canada just magically appeared out of the ether. People had to organize for it. I'm always willing to be surprised.”

“Are we on the tail-end of a generation that is enamored with the novelty of these devices and will younger people coming of age be more blasé about them in a healthy way? You look back at the history of any medium and the people who were there when it was developing, whether it was the telegraph or cable television or radio, thought, This is amazing, it's going change everything, or, The human community will finally be able to recognize each other and speak and be one - I mean, some people thought the telegraph or television would usher in world peace.”

People World Way Humans Looks Mean Ends Age Able Speak Community Generations Television Healthy Radio Mediums Developing Devices Coming Of Age Tails Novelty Cables Enamored Telegraph

Author:Astra Taylor

“What we need to do is take that inchoate sense that something isn't right and give it a structural component and the sense that things can be another way.”

Way Needs Giving Components Another Way

Author:Astra Taylor

“One connection I see between the work I did on philosophy and my work on technology is that both communities tend to mystify and create an atmosphere of complexity.”

Philosophy Community Technology Connections Atmosphere Complexity

Author:Astra Taylor

“Whether it's a professional, academic keeping people out by using certain mystifying language, or technologists presenting their work as incredibly complicated, no one can understand it (especially not "moms," who are always invoked as the ultimate know-nothings, which is incredibly insulting to a whole lot of people).”

People Knows Whole Certain Language Mom Ultimate Complicated Academic Insulting Presenting

Author:Astra Taylor

“One sad consequence of this is that people don't feel permitted to try understand Internet infrastructure, so I'm really grateful to groups like Free Press and other nonprofits who are trying to make the issue urgent and comprehensible. And Andre Blum's book Tubes is great on this topic.”

People Feels Trying Book Issues Groups Internet Consequence Grateful Presses Topics Infrastructure Urgent Tubes Free Press Nonprofits

Author:Astra Taylor

“One of the big myths about people growing up is that they are "digital natives;" that just because they've been raised with the Internet - that you're very adept at using the app on your phone - it doesn't mean you have any idea about how the Internet actually works.”

People Mean Ideas Bigs Growing Up Growing Internet Raised Phones Myth Digital Apps Adept

Author:Astra Taylor