Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Born Digital

  • The Story of a Distracted Generation
  • By: Robert Wigley
  • Narrated by: Robert Wigley
  • Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (11 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Born Digital

By: Robert Wigley
Narrated by: Robert Wigley
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Our attention has been hijacked by the tsunami of devices, games, and social media which now dominate our lives. This new technology brings efficiency, cost savings, and instantaneous information. But when our attention is the currency being traded by big tech firms, what price are we willing to pay for convenience?

Addiction, anxiety, depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, stunted empathy development, troubled relationships, fake news, propaganda, and even threats to democracy are just some of the challenges new technology presents. Anti-trust law has failed to prevent the emergence of a few dominant big tech platforms and regulation has not kept pace with surveillance capitalism.

The internet was created on the basis that all users are equal, but children and the vulnerable are not. In Born Digital, Robert Wigley distils the mountains of available research on the subject and brings to bear his wealth of institutional experience to present a road map for society to radically and urgently reset its relationship with technology - for the sake of future generations.

Praise for Born Digital:

"Born Digital covers a lot of ground in reviewing social tech ‘weapons of mass distraction’. An important read for parents, caregivers, educators, policymakers and industry, in fact for any stakeholder concerned about the impact of technology on our children and, in turn, on society." (Professor Mary Aiken, author of The Cyber Effect)

"Keen insights. Urgent questions. For friends, parents, colleagues – and indeed for members of the Born Digital generation." (TS Anil, CEO, Monzo Bank)

"Brilliant, factual and really reaches deep into the behaviours of Generation Z. From screen time before bed to cyberbullying and mental wellbeing. A must read. Highly recommended." (Jack Parsons, 25, CEO, The Youth Group

©2021 Robert Wigley (P)2021 Robert Wigley
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Which Side of History? cover art
Who's Raising the Kids? cover art
A Life Lived Remotely cover art
Deviced! cover art
Influenced cover art
Digital for Good cover art
How Cool Brands Stay Hot cover art
The Gen Z Effect cover art
Offline cover art
Trampled by Unicorns cover art
Raising a Screen-Smart Kid cover art
How To Talk To Robots cover art
Trapped in the Web: How I Liberated Myself from Internet Addiction, and How You Can Too cover art
i-Minds - Second Edition cover art
Behind the Screen cover art
Program or Be Programmed cover art

What listeners say about Born Digital

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting topic and clearly an Issue!


Really interesting topic and from a very interesting view point (father and business leader). I really enjoyed and has made me consider how I operate as a 35 year old, so not quite gen z but not far off...! Think this is Wigley’s first book but imagine not the last. I had the audio book which was a great way to enjoy this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Would highly recommend a listen

Discusses a lot of very insightful topics which make you think deeper, especially as a gen z myself. A very lovely voice to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must Read book on the subject

A fascinating and well researched dive into the way we are all living in the digital age, from Gen Z to boomers. Wigley peppers his prose with staggering statistics throughout the book. A thoughtful wake up call to action!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What all parents need to know!

Like all parents of teenagers, Robert Wigley has been wondering what they got up to on their devices, and what the long term effects of that might be. While most us hoped for the best, watched a Netflix documentary and maybe read the occasional article, Robert’s approach has been very different. You quickly get the impression that he set out to read everything available on the subject, including dozens of academic papers. He followed this up by interviewing many young people. He made himself an expert, and then wrote a brilliant analysis of what the new digital world means for parents - and their children. It is fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. I now feel much better informed and rather depressed about where we are all heading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A thought provoking insight to the attention crisis we all face today

Essential read for parents to understand the digital world their children have been born into, and how the normalisation of technology in all aspects of our lives is totally changing the way we build relationships, the way we work and communicate. Constant distraction by multiple apps and social media platforms is having a catastrophic effect on our ability to concentrate and ultimately on everyone’s mental well-being.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A 'Must Read,' thought provoking book

Born Digital is a 'must read,' thought provoking, review of the digital world and its impact on Gen Z kids (born mid-90’s to 2010). Things we believe we already have some sense of, are defined with forensic clarity in an 'easy-on-the-ear' narrative. From AI to VR, to social media platforms, Pornification, Regulation and Taxation. The author highlights concerns re child protection and abuse, and the turmoil that targeted fake news has on the global democratic system. Wigley, with a background in global finance and Government advisory, has some logical KYC-equivalent recommendations to replace the current 'self-regulation' of some of the world's most profitable companies; Client identification; Age verification and Fraud protection. To paraphrase the author, ‘would you allow the Government to mine your data the way some of the FANGs do?’ In a post-Brexit world, the UK has an opportunity to put people before profits - in the digital world. This book tells us why and how.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!