The Register Lecture: The secrets of power in the digital age

Reg Events Forget information, bitcoin, even porn. There’s only one currency that ultimately matters in the digital world, and that’s power.

A new, digital form of power has chipped away at the old, familiar citadels where power used to reside. It has scared CEOs, forced politicians to resign, swallowed up newspapers, eclipsed experts, and torn down companies. Traditional centres of power have been torn down, and this most precious of commodities has been redistributed in new, mysterious ways.

Carl Miller will join us on November 7 to talk about his efforts to track down and expose the new forms of power that shape, guide and limit each of our lives, on and offline.

Carl is the co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media and a visiting fellow at Kings College London, and has researched all this for his upcoming book, Power, which will examine how control and liberation are wrapped up together in the digital age, due next year.

But you can hear all about it first hand at this Register Lecture, from interviews with the hikikomori in South Korea - who never, ever leave their homes, and live their lives entirely online - to rockstar e-sports gamers. He has examined the disinformation and fake news pumped out by Russia and met the amateur online journalists trying to confront them, as well as the political Parties obsessed with digital campaigning and the people building technology to get rid of Parties altogether.

This all takes place at the Yorkshire Grey on Theobalds Road, London on November 7. The doors will be open from 6.30pm, with the talk proper kicking off at 7pm. And yes, there’ll be refreshments, both liquid and solid, on hand.

As with all Register Lectures, after the talk we’ll break for a drink and a bite, before opening the floor to questions, giving you the opportunity to discuss power - whether you have it, want it, or are just scared of it.

We hope you'll join us for what will be an illuminating and stimulating evening. You can get full details and buy tickets here. ®