Overview
- Explores the norms, values and characteristics that drive behaviors within the technology industry capital of the world, Silicon Valley
- Argues that the values prioritized in this industry affect social values and behaviors of people globally
- Presents recommendations for how to practically improve ethics in tech companies
- This is an Open Access book
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About this book
Misinformation. Job displacement. Information overload. Economic inequality. Digital addiction. The breakdown of democracy, civility, and truth itself.
This open access book explores the conscious and unconscious norms, values, and characteristics that drive behaviors within the high-tech capital of the world, Silicon Valley, and the sector it represents. In an era where the reach and influence of a single industry has the potential to define the future of our world, it has become apparent just how little we know about the organizations driving these changes. The Psychology of Silicon Valley offers a revealing look inside the mind of world’s most influential industry and how the identity, culture, myths, and motivations of Big Tech are harming society.
The book argues that the bad values and lack of emotional intelligence borne in the vacuum of Silicon Valley will have lasting consequences on everything from social equality to the future of work to our collective mental health. Katy Cook expertly walks us through the psychological landscape of Silicon Valley, including its leadership, ethical, and cultural problems, and artfully explains why we cannot afford to ignore the psychology and values that are behind our technology any longer.Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
- Silicon Valley
- Tech company ethics
- history of Silicon Valley
- identity
- diversity in the tech industry
- women in tech
- technopaternalism
- hypercapitalism
- “free” advertising business model
- social impacts of technology
- fake news
- misinformation on social media
- impact of technology on employment
- gig economy
- wellbeing in the technology industry
- leadership psychology
- open access
Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Psychology
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Front Matter
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Next Steps
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“This unique psychology-based approach to the digital economy is a valuable, scholarly achievement. Many other authors have made these same connections over the past few years, but Cook offers a meticulously well-sourced compilation of these critiques. … Scholarship, timeliness, and an informed psychological perspective set this book apart from other Silicon Valley critiques.” (Kirkus, kirkusreviews.com, December 17, 2019)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Katy Cook is Founder and Director of the Centre for Technology Awareness. She is an expert on the intersection of technology, ethics, and psychology and holds a PhD and two MAs in psychology and modern culture studies.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Psychology of Silicon Valley
Book Subtitle: Ethical Threats and Emotional Unintelligence in the Tech Industry
Authors: Katy Cook
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27364-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and Psychology, Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-27363-7Published: 15 October 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-27364-4Published: 15 October 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: VIII, 314
Topics: Popular Science in Psychology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Economic Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology, Innovation/Technology Management