Fred Turner

Fred Turner, Stanford scholar of media and American culture, traces how 1960s counterculture seeded techno‑utopian ideas. He discusses cybernetics, the Whole Earth network, psychedelics, the WELL, and Wired‑era fusion of commune values with market tech. Short takes explore hackers as cultural icons, the marketing of the internet, and the political blind spots of early digital utopianism.

Fred Turner, a Stanford Professor and historian of Silicon Valley culture, dives into the fascinating history of the intersection between technology and counterculture. He discusses the evolution of cyberculture, touching on how the ideals of 1960s hippies transformed into today's digital utopianism. Topics include the corporatization of everyday life, the dynamics of dating apps, and the cultural origins of Burning Man. Turner also critiques the shift in Silicon Valley from libertarianism to corporate control, advocating for the importance of humanities in navigating our tech-driven society.

In 1940, a group of 60 American intellectuals formed the Committee for National Morale. “They’ve largely been forgotten,” says Fred Turner, a professor of communications at Stanford University, but their work had a profound impact on public opinion. They produced groundbreaking films and art exhibitions. They urged viewers to stop, reflect and think for themselves, and in so doing, they developed a set of design principles that reimagined how media could make us feel more calm, reflective, empathetic; in short, more democratic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, and guest host, Paula Bialski, Associate Professor of Digital Sociology at University of St. Gallen, talk to Fred Turner, Harry and Norman Chandler Professor of Communication at Stanford University, about his classic 2006 book, _From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism_. They briefly explore the arc of Fred’s career and revisit the book in the spirit of asking what has changed in digital ideology since the book’s publication, including with the role of Silicon Valley elites in the second Trump Administration, Elon Musk’s role in DOGE, and the (perhaps only brief) turn of digital technology elites moving from California to Texas. Since this conversation was recorded in April 2025, Fred’s essay, “The Texan Ideology,” has been published in The Baffler: Link here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

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.