Cyberselfish returns to bookstores with its critique of techno-libertarianism

Cyberselfish, Paulina Borsook's book originally published in 2000, is returning in an edition from Tin House after going out of print. TechCrunch reports the reissue, which includes a new introduction by Gil Durán, without specifying its release date. The news concerns the return of the book, whose focus remains Silicon Valley's political culture.

Borsook presents her book as an account of her attempts to understand techno-libertarian influence in this milieu. In comments reported by TechCrunch, she criticizes a hostility to regulation that she considers inconsistent with the benefits received from government action. This assessment belongs to the author: it is not an independent measure of the relationship between technology companies and the state.

The account of the book's return to publication describes renewed interest in the work. Borsook mentions inquiries from European academics and social media posts in particular, followed by media coverage preceding the new edition. However, the article provides no sales figures with which to measure the scale of that interest.

The significance of this reissue lies in bringing back into circulation a long-established framework for interpreting beliefs found in tech. It can inform analysis of discussions about regulation, provided a distinction is maintained between the movement under study and Silicon Valley as a whole.