OKCupid founder’s book explores ‘Who We Are’ in digital age

Brooklyn BookBeat: Author to Speak at Brooklyn Book Festival

September 16, 2014 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

OKCupid co-founder and CEO Christian Rudder will speak about his new book at the Brooklyn Book Festival on Sept. 21.

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In the digital age, when human tendencies and our lifestyles are constantly evolving, it can be difficult to discern who we are and how we engage with others and the world around us. Christian Rudder, president and co-founder of OkCupid – one of the largest dating websites in the U.S. – has recently published a book that explores just that.

In “Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One’s Looking)” (Crown), Rudder investigates the implications of leading digital lives – how we love and fight, how we age, how we change and what we want – examining not only data from a host of media sites – but also analyzing what that data says about the people behind it. Replete with charts, graphs and photos, Rudder’s humorous and provocative book reveals how modern technology and data can help us understand what makes us tick – and who we really are when we think no one’s looking.

Rudder will celebrate his book launch at the Brooklyn Book Festival on Sept. 21, when he will speak at a panel titled “Digital Lives” along with Astra Taylor (“The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power in the Digital Age”) and Alice Marwick (“Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity and Branding in the Age of Social Media”). The panel will be moderated by Jenna Wortham, technology reporter for The New York Times, and will take place at the Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont St. in Brooklyn Heights) from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Next month, on Oct. 10, Rudder will speak in Brooklyn as part of Super Week Discussion at Littlefield (622 Degraw St. in Gowanus). The event, which will include a Q&A and book signing, will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets ar $7 and copies of “Dataclysm” will be available for purchase.