To the Cloud: Big Data in a Turbulent World

To the Cloud: Big Data in a Turbulent World
Title: To the Cloud: Big Data in a Turbulent World

Author: Vincent Mosco

In the wake of revelations about National Security Agency activities—many of which occur “in the cloud�—this book offers both enlightenment and a critical view. Cloud computing and big data are arguably the most significant forces in information technology today. In clear prose, To the Cloud explores where the cloud originated, what it means, and how important it is for business, government, and citizens. It describes the intense competition among cloud companies like Amazon and Google, the spread of the cloud to government agencies like the controversial NSA, and the astounding growth of entire cloud cities in China. From advertising to trade shows, the cloud and big data are furiously marketed to the world, even as dark clouds loom over environmental, privacy, and employment issues that arise from the cloud. Is the cloud the long-promised information utility that will solve many of the world’s economic and social problems? Or is it just marketing hype? To the Cloud provides the first thorough analysis of the potential and the problems of a technology that may very well disrupt the world.

• Offers the first critical evaluation of cloud computing and big data as engines of informational capitalism and promoters of digital positivism.
• Provides the first thorough description of the cloud computing industry.
• Provides a detailed description of how the cloud is being promoted through advertising, social media, private think tanks, government reports, lobbying, and trade expositions.
• Examines critical problems facing cloud computing and its users, including environmental, privacy (such as surveillance by the NSA and China) and employment issues.
• Provides a detailed description and critique of big data from both a technical and a cultural perspective.

ISBN: 9781612056166
Number Of Pages: 284
Published: 30th May 2014
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