The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet
$17.81
- Paperback
144 pages
- Release Date
23 February 2026
Summary
The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet investigates how intelligence–human and artificial–manifests under conditions of secrecy, hostility, and concealment.
Departing from Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin’s dark forest theory, which frames the universe as a hostile terrain filled with predators where transparent communication is foolish and dangerous, the book portrays the internet as a cosmic war machine, teeming with existential tension, nascent AI cults, and decept…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781509569267 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 150956926X |
| Author: | Bogna Konior |
| Publisher: | John Wiley and Sons Ltd |
| Imprint: | Polity Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 144 |
| Release Date: | 23 February 2026 |
| Weight: | 159g |
| Dimensions: | 15mm x 122mm x 188mm |
| Series: | Theory Redux |
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Critics Review
“Bogna Konior’s ‘dark forest theory of the internet’ ingeniously takes a key concept in contemporary Chinese science fiction and expands it to include every aspect of our increasingly online lives. Konior begins with the premise that the collective compulsion to post and be ‘seen’ risks repercussions we cannot anticipate, as the internet evolves into a panoptic, probing, enigmatic networked intelligence. Her book is a singular call not only to reframe radically our media habits, but to rethink completely our understanding of what it means to be human in an age of profoundly esoteric technics. The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet will be an instant classic in critical media theory and posthumanist philosophy: it is a brilliant, sophisticated anti-map of how we might survive the coming decade - even if that means co-evolving into something else.”
Dominic Pettman, author of Infinite Distraction and Ghosting
Bogna Konior
Bogna Konior is Assistant Professor of Media Theory in the Interactive Media Arts department at NYU Shanghai.
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