(Video) Jaron Lanier On Micropayments

San Francisco-based technologist Jaron Lanier is one of the forefathers of modern information technology. Starting in the early 1980′s, Lanier and his friends began to experiment with ideas that would eventually become implemented into the Internet. With a watchful eye, he has tracked the progression of how we use information and what role the Internet plays in our lives.

His new book, You Are Not a Gadget examines how technology has drastically changed culture (both off and online), and how the idea of a digital utopia based on open-source software and sharing is ultimately dangerous for the survival of unique cultures.

Among the arguments Lanier makes, he proposes that micropayments are central to the progression of creativity on the web. Retro-mashups and the recycling of artistic expression have been brought about through the ideology of open-technology and ultimately hinder the creation of new art, music, and ideas, Lanier argues. By paying people for new, talented contributions to Internet culture – it can begin to move back towards the vision of its founders- creative, rewarding, and enriching.

Lanier recently spoke at City Lights Books in San Francisco and explained the main themes in the book.

[via HowDoesItSound]