Cultural Evolution in the Digital Age

From emails to social media, from instant messaging to political memes, the way we produce and transmit culture is radically changing. 'Cultural Evolution in the Digital Age' examines, for the first time in a cognitive and evolutionary perspective, the impact of online and digital media on how we produce and transmit culture.

List of contents

• 1: A growing network for cultural transmission


• 2: Wary Leaners


• 3: Prestige


• 4: Popularity


• 5: Echo chambers


• 6: Misinformation


• 7: Transmitting and sharing


• 8: Cumulation


• 9: Conclusion

About the author

Alberto Acerbi, Lecturer at the Centre for Culture and Evolution, Department of Psychology, Brunel University London.

Summary

From emails to social media, from instant messaging to political memes, the way we produce and transmit culture is radically changing. 'Cultural Evolution in the Digital Age' examines, for the first time in a cognitive and evolutionary perspective, the impact of online and digital media on how we produce and transmit culture.

Additional text

Unlike alarmist writers on this topic, Acerbi adopts a cultural evolution approach, asserting that the changes to society have been much more of an evolution than a revolution. Acerbi advocates for a moderate approach to understanding the impact of digital media. Taking the "long view" provides a more accurate assessment than alarmist reactions. As the author maintains, many characteristics attributed to digital media have been overstated: changes to people's relationships with others, celebrities' online influence, and the existence of echo chambers and individuals isolating themselves from diversity of thought. He writes, "the negative effects of our daily interactions with digital media may have been overestimated, ... for what we know now, there are many positive effects that we just take for granted" (p. 214). Acerbi's book is filled with hope; it is not a Pollyanna assessment of the digital world but a balanced view.

Product details

• Authors: Acerbi, Alberto Acerbi, Alberto (Lecturer in Cognitive Anthropolog Acerbi, Alberto (Lecturer in Cognitive Anthropology Acerbi
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.11.2019
• EAN: 9780198835943
• ISBN: 978-0-19-883594-3
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Psychology > Theoretical psychology; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > General, dictionaries; Evolution, PSYCHOLOGY / Social Psychology, COMPUTERS / General, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Evolution, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Physical, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, HOUSE & HOME / General, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Digital lifestyle, Social, group or collective psychology, Early Man, Social and cultural anthropology, Digital Lifestyle and online world: consumer and user guides, Evolutionary anthropology / Human evolution