Digital Cash - The Unknown History of Anarchists, Utopians, Technologists Who

"The fascinating untold story of digital cash and its creators, from experiments in the 1970s to the mania over Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies."--Provided by publisher.

About the author

Finn Brunton is associate professor in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University. He is the author of Spam: A Shadow History of the Internet.

Summary

The fascinating untold story of digital cash and its creators—from experiments in the 1970s to the mania over Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin may appear to be a revolutionary form of digital cash without precedent or prehistory. In fact, it is only the best-known recent experiment in a long line of similar efforts going back to the 1970s. But the story behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and its blockchain technology has largely been untold—until now. In Digital Cash, Finn Brunton reveals how technological utopians and political radicals created experimental money to bring about their visions of the future: to protect privacy, bring down governments, prepare for apocalypse, or launch a civilization of innovation and abundance that would make its creators immortal. Filled with marvelous characters, stories, and ideas, Digital Cash is an engaging and accessible account of the strange origins and remarkable technologies behind today's cryptocurrency explosion.

Additional text

"Winner of the Bronze Medal in Business Technology, Axiom Business Book Awards"

Product details

• Authors: Finn Brunton
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.10.2020
• EAN: 9780691209166
• ISBN: 978-0-691-20916-6
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); Media Studies, Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Money & Monetary Policy, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, Social and cultural history, Monetary Economics