Medieval Internet

Jakob Linaa Jensen, Ph.D., M.A. in Politics is Research Director of Social Media at the Danish School of Media and Journalism. He has been associate professor of Media Studies at Aarhus University for nine years. He has published three monographs, three edited volumes and more than 30 international journal articles.

'Jakob Linaa Jensen provides a timely reminder that there's nothing like a detour through history to dispel the facile promise that the Internet will empower the people and revitalize democracy. The Medieval Internet is a sweeping and provocative account of the affinities between our datafied, "post-industrial" era and the brutality of feudal-era exploitation. However, his nuanced approach to the Medieval Era also unearths resources for hope -- but not without a struggle. This is a fascinating and invaluable book that sheds new light on our current predicament.'

• Chapter 1. The Middle Ages and medieval ways of living and thinking Chapter 2. The Medieval and the contemporary landscape of information Chapter 3. The public – deliberation, visibility and mutual surveillance Chapter 4. Community and beyond – medieval and modern Chapter 5. Instruments of Internet power Chapter 6. Structures of Internet power – algorithms and platforms Chapter 7. Digital feudalism Chapter 8. Politics and publics