The Master Switch

The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

By: Tim Wu

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A secret history of the industrial wars behind the rise and fall of the 20th century's great information empires - Hollywood, the broadcast networks, and AT&T - asking one big question: Could history repeat itself, with one giant entity taking control of American information?

Most consider the Internet Age to be a moment of unprecedented freedom in communications and culture. But as Tim Wu shows, each major new medium, from telephone to cable, arrived on a similar wave of idealistic optimism only to become, eventually, the object of industrial consolidation profoundly affecting how Americans communicate. Every once-free and open technology was in time centralized and closed, a huge corporate power taking control of the master switch. Today, as a similar struggle looms over the Internet, increasingly the pipeline of all other media, the stakes have never been higher. To be decided: who gets heard, and what kind of country we live in. Part industrial exposé, part meditation on the nature of freedom of expression, part battle cry to save the Internet's best features, The Master Switch brings to light a crucial drama rife with indelible characters and stories, heretofore played out over decades in the shadows of our national life.

©2010 Tim Wu (P)2010 Audible, Inc

Critic reviews

“Wu’s engaging narrative and remarkable historical detail make this a compelling and galvanizing cry for sanity - and necessary deregulation - in the information age.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“This is an essential look at the directions that personal computing could be headed depending on which policies and worldviews come to dominate control over the Internet.” ( Booklist)

"There’s a sharp insight and a surprising fact on nearly every page of Wu’s masterful survey. Above all, Wu shows that each new communications technology spawns the same old quest for power." ( The Boston Globe)

"A brilliant exploration of the oscillations of communications technologies between 'open' and 'closed' from the early days of the telephone up through Hollywood and broadcast television up to the Internet era." (Forbes.com)

"My pick for economics book of the year." (Ezra Klein, The Washington Post)

Great Read

Tim Wu, a scholar of technology, innovation and cyberspace has produced a very informative book which is timely in many ways. He relates in detail how communication technology has been guided by the profit motive and political actions during the last century and the current era. I have heard some of these stories before, but not in this context. If you are interested in or concerned about the direction that electronic media is taking in the US, this is the book for you. It is not light reading, but well worth the time spent. I found the first few chapters a little tedious largely because they were not covering what I was I thought were my interests. After a while, however, I realized what Wu was saying and by the last third of the book he had "my earlobes in his hands." I would, however, recommend that you listen to the Audible recording of Wu's earlier book, "Who Controls the Internet?", first for background. This book will fill in the details and more. Well written and accessible. Marc Vietor's narration is excellent.

Something to think about

This book gave me a lot to think about. It give a look into monopolies and how they are formed. How the government can play a role into breaking them up or let them continue business as usual.

Comprehensive history of the communications market

This book presents a comprehensive history and analysis of the modern US communications market, from the invention of the telephone, to the internet today. Over and over a monopoly is born, new technology rises and attempts to overthrow it, but often fails, but the monopoly eventually collapses, letting the new kids take over. The role of government in sustaining these monopolies and quashing competition is particularly illuminating, especially considering the free-market ethos so central to US thinking. It's all very interesting, and I feel I learned a lot from it.

Two caveats, though: the narration is merely adequate, and sometimes feels wooden and forced. It didn't seriously bother me, but a better performance would have helped. Second, and this is important to remember, Wu discuss the US market, almost to the exclusion of the rest of the world. When foreign lands do appear, it's usually only because they relate directly to the US market at that point (like a source of imported films in the early 20th century). That's not too bad, as the US was definitely the source of developments in the communications market, but just be aware of this limitation.

All in all, I enjoyed it, and can recommend it if you want to learn more about this field.

Interesting, Fascinating and Well Read

I seriously loved this book. Everything about it - the history and insight into media was fascinating and the narrator was perfect.

Way too long, and wasn't really what I was wanting

Would you try another book from Tim Wu and/or Marc Vietor?

Probably not, as he seemed to turn a straightforward analysis of monopolies and innovation into a super long history of everything from the film Heaven's Gate to education switchboard operators had in the early 1900s. Ughh.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Cut each chapter's content by 50-75%. The entire book should have been about 7 hrs. max.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Yeah, because his monotone voice seemed to drag the overly detailed histories to seem even longer than they were written. To be fair, there isn't much anyone could do with the material.

Could you see The Master Switch being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No way - unless some company wants to fund a 22 part series with each part being 2-3 hrs., I don't see this info translating to TV at all. Information overload.

Any additional comments?

This is a good example of a book with an interesting premise purposely made longer for the sake of pleasing a publisher and/or writer's ego. I didn't need to know the detail of every word mentioned, nor was 95% of it even relevant to the topics being discussed. Instead of focusing on modern day things the vast majority of the book is stuck in the late 1800s/early 1900s and only the last few chapters deal with the internet. Microsoft is omitted almost entirely, while glowing praise for Apple and Google gushes from the author far too much. The final chapter is one giant opinion and rambles on from one "point" to another with no clear end in sight. It's not a 2-star book, but it came close. I regret listening to it.

Intriguing

Great read. sincerely makes you think about how we have grown technologically. Great for history and tech geeks.

Recurring monopolist aspirations

Reads like a mafia war! The turf battle for commercial domination of the information/ tech verticals: the operating systems, the delivery mechanisms and of course, the content. Wu's historical (and fascinating) case-studies remind us that the wheel keeps turning and nothing is new. Wu's writing is not weighed down - he is approachable and cleverly succinct. A bit like listening to an extended lecture from your favourite university Professor.

An Excellent Read

Very interesting historical account of information monopolies including telecom, the movie studios, FM radio, TV and the internet. How oligarchies and the government have historically stifled competition and fought for control, often playing dirty pool.

Lone inventors of game changing technologies are profiled.

The last section of book focuses on the internet and how it may have created a different dynamic/cycle.

Missing is the role of VC's and investors in this new model and how they help the inventors and small companies from getting crushed by the oligarchies. A major oversight in my opinion.

Excellent read.

Geek Read

I needed a good tech read and this title what my interest called for. Tim Wu went beyond at doing his homework for this book. The Master Switch needs to be an requirement for any communication class. The book force us to look on an open network. Great read!!! I was hook.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It opened my eyes to the history of media and the profound impact that big business has had on our lives and cultural experiences. Well done.