Will Storr

And, you know, and one of the things I'm arguing in the book is that, you know, one of the reasons, one of the things I didn't understand was that, you know, that 1984 ad was offering the Apple user status. It was just saying, you know, fundamentally that if you buy an Apple computer, you're on the side of progress, you know. creativity, smashing the man, which is a big thing in the 80s.

And, you know, and one of the things I'm arguing in the book is that, you know, one of the reasons, one of the things I didn't understand was that, you know, that 1984 ad was offering the Apple user status. It was just saying, you know, fundamentally that if you buy an Apple computer, you're on the side of progress, you know. creativity, smashing the man, which is a big thing in the 80s.

And, you know, and one of the things I'm arguing in the book is that, you know, one of the reasons, one of the things I didn't understand was that, you know, that 1984 ad was offering the Apple user status. It was just saying, you know, fundamentally that if you buy an Apple computer, you're on the side of progress, you know. creativity, smashing the man, which is a big thing in the 80s.

It's not going to be 1994. So it's a very optimistic, high-status, fashionable story they were telling. But the other ad, it took status away. So it was an absolute disaster. It was basically telling people that there were these bunch of brain-dead lemmings and they were going to fall to their death due to their own stupidity.

It's not going to be 1994. So it's a very optimistic, high-status, fashionable story they were telling. But the other ad, it took status away. So it was an absolute disaster. It was basically telling people that there were these bunch of brain-dead lemmings and they were going to fall to their death due to their own stupidity.

It's not going to be 1994. So it's a very optimistic, high-status, fashionable story they were telling. But the other ad, it took status away. So it was an absolute disaster. It was basically telling people that there were these bunch of brain-dead lemmings and they were going to fall to their death due to their own stupidity.

Yeah, a little bit. So to understand, one of the reasons that 1984 was so successful, you have to really understand the story of computers that was being told in the 1980s. So when the advert was broadcast, the boarding mall stood up. This wasn't the age of Silicon Valley, you know, Facebook, Google, and all the, you know, friendly...

Yeah, a little bit. So to understand, one of the reasons that 1984 was so successful, you have to really understand the story of computers that was being told in the 1980s. So when the advert was broadcast, the boarding mall stood up. This wasn't the age of Silicon Valley, you know, Facebook, Google, and all the, you know, friendly...

Yeah, a little bit. So to understand, one of the reasons that 1984 was so successful, you have to really understand the story of computers that was being told in the 1980s. So when the advert was broadcast, the boarding mall stood up. This wasn't the age of Silicon Valley, you know, Facebook, Google, and all the, you know, friendly...

corporate um um you know brands that we know today um computers were still feared um they were seen as these kind of machines that were going to like yeah going to introduce a future of conformity and you know totalitarianism um it was um just a year before um 1984 was broadcast there was a massive film called war games um which i just about remember from my childhood you know which which was all about this computer that was that did um

corporate um um you know brands that we know today um computers were still feared um they were seen as these kind of machines that were going to like yeah going to introduce a future of conformity and you know totalitarianism um it was um just a year before um 1984 was broadcast there was a massive film called war games um which i just about remember from my childhood you know which which was all about this computer that was that did um

corporate um um you know brands that we know today um computers were still feared um they were seen as these kind of machines that were going to like yeah going to introduce a future of conformity and you know totalitarianism um it was um just a year before um 1984 was broadcast there was a massive film called war games um which i just about remember from my childhood you know which which was all about this computer that was that did um

that did war games with the Soviet Union, kind of goes crazy and almost starts a brand new nuclear war. And a computer then was this huge kind of flashing mainframe thing operated by inscrutable men in white lab coats. So that was what people feared. People feared computers. Weirdly, that fear is reawakening at the moment in the age of AI.

that did war games with the Soviet Union, kind of goes crazy and almost starts a brand new nuclear war. And a computer then was this huge kind of flashing mainframe thing operated by inscrutable men in white lab coats. So that was what people feared. People feared computers. Weirdly, that fear is reawakening at the moment in the age of AI.

that did war games with the Soviet Union, kind of goes crazy and almost starts a brand new nuclear war. And a computer then was this huge kind of flashing mainframe thing operated by inscrutable men in white lab coats. So that was what people feared. People feared computers. Weirdly, that fear is reawakening at the moment in the age of AI.

People are starting to have those fears again, but they went away. And really, largely, one of the reasons they went away is because of that ad. It was saying, no, this is not what personal computers are all about. Personal computers are about freedom. They're about individuality. They're about progress. So people loved that story. They massively identified with that story.

People are starting to have those fears again, but they went away. And really, largely, one of the reasons they went away is because of that ad. It was saying, no, this is not what personal computers are all about. Personal computers are about freedom. They're about individuality. They're about progress. So people loved that story. They massively identified with that story.

People are starting to have those fears again, but they went away. And really, largely, one of the reasons they went away is because of that ad. It was saying, no, this is not what personal computers are all about. Personal computers are about freedom. They're about individuality. They're about progress. So people loved that story. They massively identified with that story.

And it ended up being an incredibly powerful, powerfully persuasive piece of storytelling for Apple. Like all the ads I talk about in the book, it had no information in it about the actual product. It had no price, no technical details. It didn't even have a picture of the damn thing. It was pure storytelling and incredibly successful.

And it ended up being an incredibly powerful, powerfully persuasive piece of storytelling for Apple. Like all the ads I talk about in the book, it had no information in it about the actual product. It had no price, no technical details. It didn't even have a picture of the damn thing. It was pure storytelling and incredibly successful.