Douglas Rushkoff is one of today’s most engaging and perceptive commentators on the impact of technology and media on organizations and society. A globally-recognized media theorist and thought leader on marketing and internet culture, he explores how communications affect our values and our lives — from how to raise children in a media-driven culture to how to find and impart meaning in business, education and even religion.

The originator of terms and ideas from "viral media" to "screenagers" and "social currency," Rushkoff is the author of 10 books on technology, media and popular culture, including Coercion, Media Virus, Playing the Future and Cyberia, the very first book on cyberculture. His books and novels have been translated into over 25 languages.

His latest book, Get Back in the Box: Innovation From the Inside Out, is a thought-provoking examination of the influence of interactive communications technology on business. Rushkoff looks at how the new renaissance in creativity and collaboration, ushered in by the Internet, gives organizations the freedom to return to core competencies and reconnect with the passion that fuels true innovation.
 
Rushkoff received national acclaim as the correspondent for the PBS Frontline documentary, The Merchants of Cool, which examined corporate America’s massive, and sometimes subversive, efforts to capture the elusive teen market — and the $100 billion they spend each year.

His 2004 follow-up Frontline documentary, The Persuaders, explored how the ‘persuasion industries” of advertising, marketing and political campaigning are impacting American society. From branded entertainment to narrowcasting (delivering tailored messages to individual voters), marketers are integrating their messages deeper into the fabric of our lives.

 

Your message and engaging delivery resonated deeply with folks across all disciplines and business units. Last night brought forth much passion for entertaining new thoughts and ways to act on them. A collective "yes!" to you from everyone who attended.

Sapient Corporation

A professor of virtual culture at NYU, Rushkoff is also a board member of the MediaEcology Association and the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics. His keen insights into industries, from telecommunications to entertainment, have made him a sought-after advisor to companies and philanthropies, including Sony, TCI, Turner, Dell and the Markle and Bronfman Foundations.

His articles have been published in Time and The New York Times, and he has appeared on many TV programs, from NBC Nightly News to Larry King Live. For five years, he wrote the first internationally syndicated cyberculture column for The New York Times Syndicate, and he currently reaches millions of people through his commentaries on NPR, his blog at http://www.rushkoff.com and his monthly columns for Discover, the science magazine, and Arthur, a music and culture magazine.

By pulling back the curtain on marketing, media and technology, Rushkoff encourages us to look for ways that, together, we can participate consciously in the creation of our culture. He helps students connect with the value of learning, parents connect with the world of their children, and business people reconnect with the core values of their industries.