Interview with Lee Felsenstein

Interviewed by John Markoff on 2024-10-03 in Mountain View, CA
© Computer History Museum

Lee Felsenstein joins award winning tech Journalist, John Markoff, at the Computer History Museum, to discuss his new book, Me and My Big Ideas – Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future. Felsenstein reflects on his transformative experiences as a participant in the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley in 1964. At just 19, Felsenstein began a career that included pioneering public-access social media and designing early personal computers, earning recognition as a Fellow of the Computer History Museum in 2016. The book intertwines autobiography with the exploration of key ideas he championed throughout his 50-year career. Felsenstein delves into the concept of the “agora”—the communal spaces vital for public discourse—and critiques today’s social media landscape, likening users to “livestock at information feedlots.” He concludes with insights for future designers, advocating for thoughtful innovation to foster community and meaningful exchanges in the digital age.

Catalog Number: 102809044
Acquisition Number: 2024.0170