The Post-Digital Era

Name: The Post-Digital Era
ISBN: 9787500173496

霍尔格·福兰德 / 彭也纯China Translation & Publishing House · ChinaJun 2023

3.4

Word count: 163K words
Chapters: 109
ISBN: 9787500173496

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Summary

Many experts agree on how important digital technology is for daily life, economic development, and the fight against the climate crisis, disease, and hunger. Yet others worry about "digital dementia" and the uncontrolled influence of digital technology. We live between these two poles, yet depend on digital technology for work, life, and leisure. If we ordinary people have grown used to the digital world, does that mean we have arrived in the future? Or have we quietly allowed ourselves to be manipulated by digital corporations? Do we live in a filter bubble? And if so, how do we get out? Digital expert and cultural mediator Holger Volland uses simple questions, scientific facts, and entertaining stories about the digital future to explain how digital transformation is unfolding and how it affects every aspect of everyone's life.

In the book, the author stresses the need for digital literacy and discusses concrete issues in the digital transformation now underway, decoding how technological advances in the digital age affect life, work, education, and the economy, in order to help people successfully navigate the shift from the analog to the digital age.

Editor's review

Holger Volland's The Post-Digital Age is not a simple tech prophecy predicting the future, but a philosophical work that deeply reflects on how digital technology reshapes human social structures and mental models. With the rigorous speculation characteristic of a German scholar, the author defines "post-digital" as a critical concept—it marks our shift from blind worship of digital technology to a clear-eyed examination of its social and cultural consequences. The book's most valuable contribution is its "cooling-down" perspective: while the world remains immersed in enthusiasm for digital transformation, Volland calmly dissects how algorithmic rule, data alienation, and the attention economy erode human subjectivity. His core proposition, "thinking after the digital," is in fact a call to rebuild human reflective capacity and value judgment amid the technological torrent. The book's analysis of phenomena such as "digital dementia" and "interface dependence" is especially incisive. Although theoretically dense, the "reflection toolbox" at the end of each chapter offers readers a path to translate abstract speculation into daily practice. Notably, the author does not adopt an anti-technology stance but advocates "conscious digitalization"—this balance distinguishes the book from extreme optimistic or pessimistic tech discourse and makes it a rare rational voice today.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a deep speculative interest in the social impact of digital technology
Scholars and students in technology ethics and media philosophy
Professionals who feel alienated in digital work and seek to reconstruct meaning
Parents who wish to cultivate digital literacy and critical thinking in their children

Not a good fit for

Pragmatists seeking specific technology application guides or business case analyses
Readers who prefer light reading and find theoretical discussion difficult

Reading tips

Read alongside media criticism classics such as The Shallows and Amusing Ourselves to Death to understand the intellectual lineage of the digital age
After each chapter, practice the "reflection exercises" at the end of the book to turn concepts into personal observation
Pay attention to the many references to European philosophical traditions (such as the Frankfurt School) and expand background reading as appropriate

About the publisher

China Translation & Publishing House China · Founded in 1973

China Translation & Publishing House specializes in Chinese and foreign language learning and cultural exchange, publishing in such areas as foreign literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, folk literature, examinations, and finance. Its catalog shows a sustained commitment to bilingual Chinese-English editions, including Shakespeare's Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth in English-Chinese editions, alongside Nineteen Eighty-Four, Jane Eyre, The Call of the Wild, Selected Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe, and Shen Fu's Six Records of a Floating Life. Its authors and translators include Shakespeare, Zhu Shenghao, Charlotte Brontë, Jack London, and Shen Fu. As public information is limited, its full product lines and recent publishing plans are not detailed here; this profile reflects only the bilingual literature and language-learning focus evident in its available titles.

版权信息
序数字时代的生存指南
前言您已经很聪明了吗？
CHAPTER 01 居家生活：数量众多的新型同居者
我的电视知道我在看什么吗？
还有谁住在这儿？
智能电灯会招来窃贼吗？
为什么万物需要自己的互联网？
为什么人工智能仍然如此愚蠢？
当我点披萨时，有谁听到了？
房东可以拍摄我吗？
我的扫地机器人在工作时看到了什么？
最好的密码是什么样的？
谷歌搜索一次需要用多少电？
CHAPTER 02 数字生活：我们都是自己数据的产品经理
为什么我是一个产品？
超市收银员知道了我的哪些数据？
使用苹果手机预订旅行时，我是否会支付更多的费用？
通过软件我是否更容易觅得爱侣？
我可以相信在线测试吗？
我的数据值多少钱？
为什么我们不远离社交媒体？
我在一个过滤泡沫里吗？
社交媒体可以对我进行审查吗？
网页上有秘密的操控技巧吗？
我们的智能手机在偷听吗？
为什么我们会接收到如此糟糕的广告？
CHAPTER 03 移动性：软件变得比硬件更重要
汽车只能以预订服务的形式存在吗？
如果我超速，汽车会告发我吗？
当自动驾驶汽车发生事故时，谁应该对此负责？
未来谁还需要驾照？
智能汽车是如何看到我们的街道的？
如何阻止黑客进入我的汽车？
谁开车开得更好：人还是机器？
为什么谷歌地图如此出色？
车辆有学习过吗：它是否最好绕开老奶奶和小孩行驶？
CHAPTER 04 教育与文化：无数的机遇与最大的个人责任
数字化会损害文化吗？
未来人们会在哪些方面仍然胜过机器？
为什么许多互联网亿万富翁都辍学了？
谁在数字教育方面落后了？
算法可以预测试题吗？
我们每个人都必须学习编程吗？
机器人可以照顾孩子吗？
我如何在数字化职业生活中保持精力？
我什么时候可以买一台量子计算机？
硅谷创始人怎么养育他们的孩子？
计算机是怎么学习的？
机器什么时候会超越我们？
存在互联网档案馆吗？
CHAPTER 05 对与错：我们的偏见依然存在
人们可以教会机器道德吗？
人工智能会像法官一样公平地对待我吗？
什么是数据歧视？
为什么我们都会被假新闻蒙骗？
假新闻会造成什么损失？
毁掉一个人的名誉要付出什么成本？
我们为什么需要黑客？
为什么语音助手总是女性？
我从何得知我是否在与一个机器交流？
如何避免网络上的假朋友？
为什么每个人都能在网络上辱骂？
我可以把算法当作造假者来使用吗？
CHAPTER 06 健康：每个人都是自己的医生
电子医疗如何改变医疗卫生事业？
什么时候我的医生会给我开一个程序？
如果我佩戴了健身追踪器，我会变得更健康吗？
数字生活会导致痴呆吗？
算法是否能比我的医生更可靠地检测出皮肤癌？
Instagram知道我是否沮丧吗？
软件可以取代精神科医生吗？
算法如何帮助残障人士？
为什么技术没有警告我们新冠肺炎疫情？
您有数字遗嘱吗？
人们可以上传大脑吗？
CHAPTER 07 职业：还有两种工作形式：你管理机器或者机器管理你
接下来会发生什么：技术工人短缺或者数字化失业？
人工智能会在未来接管我的工作吗？
人们还可以作为网红赚钱吗？
谁在亚马逊上撰写产品说明？
数字工作者有自己的工会吗？
未来我们都会在家里工作吗？
算法会观察我们工作吗？
人们在工作的时候也能观察算法吗？
我要如何糊弄一个负责招聘的人工智能？
我的雇主可以审查我的社交媒体活动吗？
CHAPTER 08 经济：最重要的任务是调控好不同的发展速度
为什么数据被称为新石油？
科技巨头是如何瓜分世界的？
5G有什么特别之处？
人们能够删除互联网吗？
数字革命何时真正结束？
德国一觉错过了未来吗？
德国擅长哪些未来技术？
我们会与人工智能财政部部长一起节省税收吗？
为什么数字公司几乎不向我们纳税？
亚马逊靠什么赚钱？
脸书消失会给我们带来什么？
CHAPTER 09 政治：政治落后于网络资本主义
在数字化方面，政治是否仍然落后？
有一种欧洲特色的数字化道路吗？
即使戴着太阳镜，监控摄像头也能认出我吗？
算法到底是怎么认出我的脸的？
为什么我们还不能在线选举？
为什么最近我在每一个网站都必须输入OK？
我们需要一个联邦数字化事务部吗？
现在还存在没有互联网的国家吗？
致谢

FAQ

How is this book fundamentally different from common "digital future" prediction books?

Volland's core concern is not technological evolution itself, but how digital technology quietly changes human cognitive patterns, social relations, and value systems. He is closer to a philosopher than a futurist, offering critical tools rather than trend maps.

Does the concept of "post-digital" in the book mean digital technology is obsolete?

Quite the opposite. "Post-digital" emphasizes that digital technology has become infrastructure like electricity. Precisely for this reason, we need to move beyond novelty fascination and focus on how it is deeply embedded in and reshapes daily life—this is a mature view of technology.

Can non-specialist readers understand the book's philosophical discussion?

Although the author engages with traditions such as phenomenology and critical theory, he grounds abstract concepts through many everyday examples (such as social media behavior and smart home experiences). Patience is advised; focus on each chapter's core questions rather than all theoretical details.

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About the author

霍尔格·福兰德 Author

Holger Volland is an author about whom limited public information is available; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background have not been clearly recorded and require further verification. The Chinese book market carries one work by him, The Post-Digital Era. Judging from the title and its common classification, the book falls under artificial intelligence and discusses the changes that follow the deep penetration of digital technology into society, touching on the connections between technology, daily life, and ways of thinking. Volland tends to present professional topics in an accessible manner, placing abstract concepts within everyday experience so that ordinary readers can understand the impact of digital transformation. Because relevant materials are limited, his writing style and academic stance cannot yet be fully assessed, but the existing work shows that he attends to the relationship between technological evolution and the human condition and seeks to join public discussion through writing aimed at a general audience.

彭也纯 Author

Peng Yechun is an author about whom limited public information is available. The only work currently on record is The Post-Digital Era, which is categorized under artificial intelligence. Judging from the title and category, the book may examine the shape of society after digital technology has penetrated it deeply, discussing how new technologies such as artificial intelligence are changing the way people produce and live, and attempting to sort out and interpret the concept of the "post-digital." Because no clear records exist regarding the author's life, education, professional background, or nationality, this introduction makes no speculation about personal experience and does not invent awards, positions, or sales figures. The available information confirms only that the author has entered the book scene with a single work, with a writing focus that leans toward the intersection of technology and society. Readers who wish to learn more about the author's views and arguments may refer to the specific chapters of The Post-Digital Era.