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5 - Social Pasts

from Part II - Shaping Our Pasts and Futures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2021

Glen Whelan
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
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Summary

Along with the masses of information that Alphabet is collecting on specific individuals, it is currently digitizing existing, and creating entirely new, data sets of broad social relevance. As a result, and as the first section of this chapter outlines, Alphabet is contributing to a world in which the problem is not too little information, but too much. The chapter then proposes that those that want to use this information to make sense of, or construct, our social pasts, can employ one of two approaches – termed the massive and mélange approach to historical analysis respectively – to ensure that they are not overwhelmed by our ever-growing archives. Having done so, the chapter concludes by emphasizing that, by creating and maintaining this ‘great library’, Alphabet is already in a strong position from which to decide – like the ongoing winner of some never-ending war – who can, and cannot, write history.

Type
Chapter
Information
Megacorporation
The Infinite Times of Alphabet
, pp. 93 - 114
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Social Pasts
  • Glen Whelan, McGill University, Montréal
  • Book: Megacorporation
  • Online publication: 06 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108626095.008
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  • Social Pasts
  • Glen Whelan, McGill University, Montréal
  • Book: Megacorporation
  • Online publication: 06 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108626095.008
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Social Pasts
  • Glen Whelan, McGill University, Montréal
  • Book: Megacorporation
  • Online publication: 06 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108626095.008
Available formats
×