Jaron Lanier, the computer scientist and virtual reality pioneer whose book, You Are Not A Gadget: A Manifesto; Who Owns The Future?, has been at the center of conversations about the digital future since its release in 2010, will speak on campus Wednesday, March 4, at 6 p.m. as part of the 2019-2020 Think Forum series.
The Think Forum series, sponsored by Case Western Reserve University, invites the campus and Greater Cleveland community to engage with prominent academic leaders and international experts.
Lanier has been on the cusp of technological innovation from its infancy to the present. He has written several books in addition to You Are Not A Gadget, including Dawn of the New Everything and Truth, Technology, and the Visual/virtual World.
Lanier’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Discover, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired Magazine (where he was a founding contributing editor), and Scientific American, among other publications.
During his lecture on Wednesday, he will discuss his recent book, Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, synthesizing what we know about the new technology of tricking people using data science and algorithms. The event will take place at the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple–Tifereth Israel at Case Western Reserve University, 1855 Ansel Road. Free shuttle service from campus is available. All are welcome at this free event.
Free Think Forum tickets are available online or by calling the box office at 216.368.6062.
In addition, students can participate in a roundtable discussion with Lanier at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Interactive Commons. This will be a 60 minute informal discussion shaped by the questions students pose. To participate in this opportunity, students are asked to RSVP on CampusGroups.
For more information, view a resource guide about Jaron Lanier prepared by Case Western Reserve University’s Kelvin Smith Library.