New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Fred Turner on Countercultures, Cybercultures, and Californian and Texan Ideologies
Feb 25, 2026
Fred Turner, Stanford communication professor and author who traces the cultural roots of Silicon Valley. He revisits how 1960s utopianism migrated into tech, Burning Man’s rehearsal of startup culture, fringe ideas amplified by powerful networks, the shift of tech elites toward Texas, and risks from surveillance, AI hype, and authoritarian-friendly infrastructures.
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Tell Interviewees Your Angle Up Front
- Be transparent with interviewees about your project and possible critiques during research interviews.
- Turner says telling sources if you'll depict them unfavorably builds fairness and often improves relationships and data quality.
Burning Man Rehearses Silicon Valley Work Culture
- Burning Man functions as a rehearsal space for Silicon Valley's project-based, high-performance team culture rather than as a radical critique of mainstream values.
- Turner describes camps as offsite creativity teams where executives practice making objects 'for themselves' that mirror workplace teamwork.
Exit Mentality Connects Tech Festivals To Prepping
- Escape and bunker-building link Burning Man, seasteading, and tech elites: the same impulse to 'exit' politics via technology persists.
- Turner notes the desert event forces people to build survival infrastructure first, making escape a practiced skill.
