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We are very thrilled to announce that THE DIGITAL SPELL by Perttu Pölönen has been nominated for the 2024 Finlandia Prize in Non-Fiction!
Perttu Pölönen is a futurist, inventor and an inspirational speaker. In the Finnish media, Perttu has been called a gentle highbrow and fearless inventor. Future Skills has been a bestseller in Finland – where Perttu has become one of the most sought-after speakers inspiring thousands of people in his lectures.
His previous book FUTURE SKILLS has been sold to 8 territories! He has studied future technologies at Singularity University think tank, based at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, co-founded an edtech company in Myanmar and won EU’s biggest science competition for youth. In 2018, MIT Tech Review honored him among the 35 Innovators Under 35 in Europe.
The jury praised the book (THE DIGITAL SPELL):
The book reveals what smart devices and social media are doing to us. Without succumbing to cynicism, it uncovers the “magician’s tricks” that technology uses to steer our thoughts and values. This engagingly written work sheds light on the path to a future internet built on human values.
Click here to download all materials for THE DIGITAL SPELL.
Finlandia Prize is the most prestigious literary award in Finland, worth 30 000 euros. The winner will be announced on November 27.
THE DIGITAL SPELL
Perttu Pölönen
The book that every social media user should read! The third book by popular speaker and sales success Perttu Pölönen!
Only a few dozen social media executives ultimately decide where the attention of billions of people will be directed. At the same time, a large part of the population is unable to explain how the internet works, even at a basic level. We have embarked on a massive human experiment with an alarmingly inadequate understanding.
Of the many consequences of the smartphones, only a few were desired, considered, and intentional. Smartphones have altered human behavior more profoundly in just two decades than any previous technology in the same timespan. We have allowed social media to alter our perception of the world, thinking, values, and behavior. The change has been unpredictable, imperceptible, and fundamental—mental health issues, shortened attention spans, polarization, and loneliness are just a few of the outcomes. Perhaps technology is not merely a neutral tool or a solution to our problems but rather a guide that reveals our real problems.
In his latest book, Perttu Pölönen asks what kind of technology we wish to use, who we want to develop it, whose interests it should serve, and what we use technology for. In the era of ChatGPT and generative AI, discussing design, values and ethics has become more crucial than ever. Billions of people are already “plugged into the system”—now we need to find answers to how that system should ideally work.
Saisinko huomiosi? Kirja, joka jokaisen somenkäyttäjän pitäisi lukea
Otava, 2024, 336 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
German sample
Finnish edition
Our capacity for problem solving is a vital attribute of humankind – and Perttu Pölönen has captured the very essence of what our future depends on. Future Skills is an insightful and encouraging book about what skills we as a society should cultivate in the coming years and why. Filled with inspiring personal stories and thought-provoking examples, this is a book I would make my students read. Perttu is a visionary young thinker.”
