Episode
Storytelling in a data-hooked world | The TED Interview
28:59
Published: Wed Aug 10 2022
Description
Jennifer Egan is a journalist and writer whose novel "A Visit from the Goon Squad" won both the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Using a unique format -- including a whole chapter told through PowerPoint -- Egan nimbly explores the mystery and complexity of human life in the digital age. Her newest book, "The Candy House," poses similar questions around technology, memory and authenticity. In this excerpt from The TED Interview, the author talks candidly to host Steven Johnson about her creative process, considers the role of the novelist in a tech-driven world and makes an argument for how fiction can shift our consciousness. This episode is part of the TED Talks Daily summer book club, a series featuring talks and interviews to inspire your next great read.
Chapters
A successful tech icon creates an invention inspired by a wish to remember the details around a crucial event in his life, which leads to people using the machine to view their own consciousnesses and each other's in various ways.
00:00 - 08:06 (08:06)
Summary
A successful tech icon creates an invention inspired by a wish to remember the details around a crucial event in his life, which leads to people using the machine to view their own consciousnesses and each other's in various ways. This discusses the impetus of the invention and how it impacts people's lives.
EpisodeStorytelling in a data-hooked world | The TED Interview
PodcastTED Talks Daily
Author George Saunders discusses how social media is a metaphor for the feeling he wants his readers to have while reading his work, which is moving in and out of consciousnesses, and how it took him a while to use PowerPoint in his writing process despite it being on his wish list for a long time.
08:06 - 13:53 (05:46)
Summary
Author George Saunders discusses how social media is a metaphor for the feeling he wants his readers to have while reading his work, which is moving in and out of consciousnesses, and how it took him a while to use PowerPoint in his writing process despite it being on his wish list for a long time.
EpisodeStorytelling in a data-hooked world | The TED Interview
PodcastTED Talks Daily
The desire for authenticity and flexibility in a mediated world is the driving force behind the need for memory storage technology.
13:53 - 19:25 (05:32)
Summary
The desire for authenticity and flexibility in a mediated world is the driving force behind the need for memory storage technology. This includes the ability to capture and share memories as well as the ability to explore multiple perspectives within those memories.
EpisodeStorytelling in a data-hooked world | The TED Interview
PodcastTED Talks Daily
The author believes that fiction can be a powerful tool in provoking thought and questioning the inundation of data in the digital age.
19:25 - 27:21 (07:56)
Summary
The author believes that fiction can be a powerful tool in provoking thought and questioning the inundation of data in the digital age. The goal of fiction is to honor the complexity of human life while also entertaining and inviting us to ask important questions about the world around us.
EpisodeStorytelling in a data-hooked world | The TED Interview
PodcastTED Talks Daily
The TED Radio Hour presents a three-part series on the link between mental, physical, and spiritual health.
27:21 - 28:50 (01:29)
Summary
The TED Radio Hour presents a three-part series on the link between mental, physical, and spiritual health. The series explores major breakthroughs in integrative health practices, how to identify and maintain healthy energy levels, and the importance of consent in all areas of our lives.