After Hype: The Business of Taming the Digital Economy

Neil Pollock; Robin Williams

doi:10.1017/9781009644013

After Hype

The Business of Taming the Digital Economy

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From artificial intelligence (AI) to quantum computing, every new technology is surrounded by 'hype' – but what exactly is hype, and how does it work? This is the first book to take hype seriously, showing how it is made, managed, and mobilised across today's innovation landscapes. Far from being just empty talk, hype has become a structured practice and even a business in its own right. The authors uncover the machinery that drives markets, guides innovation, and shapes whole promissory economies. They also initiate 'Hype Studies' – a new way of understanding how innovation unfolds in the digital age and beyond. After Hype not only establishes hype as a serious object of study but also reveals it to be one of the most powerful yet overlooked forces shaping and influencing our technological future. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘Hype has become a defining feature of contemporary capitalism. Not as a spontaneous force, but as something increasingly organized, managed and strategically deployed. This groundbreaking book lays the foundations for a systematic study of hype, offering a compelling analysis of how it is produced and sustained through managerial practices. By uncovering the mechanisms behind the orchestration of hype, the authors provide an original and timely contribution to the performative dynamics shaping today's markets.'

Jens Beckert - author of Imagined Futures: Fictional Expectations and Capitalist Dynamics

‘Pollock and Williams elevate our understanding of how hype dynamics work, perform and transform to a new level, focusing on a major business sector of our times. A much needed contribution to a widely debated and impactful field, whose inner workings are mostly hidden from scholarly scrutiny.'

Kornelia Konrad - University of Twente, the Netherlands, and Associate Editor, Futures

‘This groundbreaking book makes a powerful case to take hype seriously and provides the analytical and methodological tools to make this possible. Its impressive scope places the need to understand hype at the centre of contemporary innovation studies.'

Paul Martin - Professor of the Sociology of Science and Technology, University of Sheffield

‘Hypes are much more than unwanted and disturbing exaggerations. After Hype details how hypes have become an integral part of modern economies and strategic decision making. This book convincingly brings together many strands of scholarship and offers significant theoretical and practical insights.'

Harro van Lente - Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

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Contents

After Hype
pp i-ii
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After Hype - Title page
pp iii-iii
The Business of Taming the Digital Economy
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Copyright page
pp iv-iv
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Dedication
pp v-vi
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Contents
pp vii-x
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Figures
pp xi-xi
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Tables
pp xii-xii
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Boxes
pp xiii-xiii
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Acknowledgements
pp xiv-xvi
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1 - Introduction
pp 1-26
We Live in a World of Hype
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Part I - Reframing Hype
pp 27-82
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2 - What Is Hype?
pp 29-57
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3 - Decision-Making about Unpredictable Technology Futures
pp 58-82
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Part II - The Gatekeepers of Hype
pp 83-132
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4 - The Second Most Important Pitch
pp 85-107
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5 - Cool Vendors
pp 108-132
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Part III - The Promissory Products that Make Hype Actionable
pp 133-192
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6 - Navigating the Hype Cycle
pp 135-166
- By With Najmeh Hafezieh, Marian Gatzweiler
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7 - Categorising the Sea of Hype
pp 167-192
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Part IV - Competing for Ranking and Recognition
pp 193-220
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8 - Managing the Metrics
pp 195-220
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Part V - What Comes after Hype?
pp 221-279
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9 - Managed Channels in the Wild Sea of Hype
pp 223-246
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10 - Towards Hype Studies
pp 247-279
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Appendix - Research Design and Methods
pp 280-284
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References
pp 285-320
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Index
pp 321-332
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After Hype

The Business of Taming the Digital Economy

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