Overview

From artificial intelligence (AI) to quantum computing, every new technology is surrounded by 'hype' – but what exactly is hype, and how does it work? This is the first book to take hype seriously, showing how it is made, managed, and mobilised across today's innovation landscapes. Far from being just empty talk, hype has become a structured practice and even a business in its own right. The authors uncover the machinery that drives markets, guides innovation, and shapes whole promissory economies. They also initiate 'Hype Studies' – a new way of understanding how innovation unfolds in the digital age and beyond. After Hype not only establishes hype as a serious object of study but also reveals it to be one of the most powerful yet overlooked forces shaping and influencing our technological future. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Full Product Details

9781009644044

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Hype has become a defining feature of contemporary capitalism. Not as a spontaneous force, but as something increasingly organized, managed and strategically deployed. This groundbreaking book lays the foundations for a systematic study of hype, offering a compelling analysis of how it is produced and sustained through managerial practices. By uncovering the mechanisms behind the orchestration of hype, the authors provide an original and timely contribution to the performative dynamics shaping today's markets.' Jens Beckert, author of Imagined Futures: Fictional Expectations and Capitalist Dynamics 'Pollock and Williams elevate our understanding of how hype dynamics work, perform and transform to a new level, focusing on a major business sector of our times. A much needed contribution to a widely debated and impactful field, whose inner workings are mostly hidden from scholarly scrutiny.' Kornelia Konrad, University of Twente, the Netherlands, and Associate Editor, Futures 'This groundbreaking book makes a powerful case to take hype seriously and provides the analytical and methodological tools to make this possible. Its impressive scope places the need to understand hype at the centre of contemporary innovation studies.' Paul Martin, Professor of the Sociology of Science and Technology, University of Sheffield 'Hypes are much more than unwanted and disturbing exaggerations. After Hype details how hypes have become an integral part of modern economies and strategic decision making. This book convincingly brings together many strands of scholarship and offers significant theoretical and practical insights.' Harro van Lente, Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Author Information

Neil Pollock is Professor of Innovation and Social Informatics at the University of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is an award-winning researcher of digital innovation and has authored several influential books on technology and markets, including How Industry Analysts Shape the Digital Future (Oxford University Press, 2016). Robin Williams is Professor of Social Research on Technology at the University of Edinburgh. A pioneer in the social shaping of technology, he has led interdisciplinary research in Science and Technology Studies for over forty years; founded the Institute for the Study of Science, Technology and Innovation; and chairs the UK Association for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available