Digital Chaos

By Hannes Grassegger

How the internet spiraled out of control, and how the creation of Web3 could contain it--or make the problem disastrously worse.

In Hannes Grassegger's sharp and revealing account of the death and life of the internet, we see how the promises of free information and connectedness have been replaced by shockingly irresponsible behavior among powerful people. He attends a bacchanalian party on Richard Branson's private island with some of the wealthiest businessmen in the world, sees the Arab Spring coalescing online, and makes an overnight fortune in cryptocurrency, hearing tell of great futures yet to unfold. And then, just as quickly, the promises vanish.

Yet as Grassegger shows, the story isn't over. He argues that the arrival of Web3--a new version of the internet owned by everyone rather than a few CEOs--will fundamentally change society. What's yet to be determined is whether it changes for the better or the worse--and much comes down to a few key choices we now face.

Written with literary flair, an observant sense of humor, and a deep understanding of technology, Digital Chaos is a book about who owns the internet, and therefore the world.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1541758293
• ISBN13: 9781541758292
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 272 Pages
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.3"