The End of Trust: Former CIA Analyst Martin Gurri on the Information "Tsunami"

By Ed D'Agostino | July 26, 2024

Something phenomenal happened in 2001. Humanity generated more information in a single year than it had in all of human history, combined, up to that point.

In 2002, it happened again. Humanity doubled the amount of information generated in 2001. From there, the amount of information available to us has gone parabolic, as documented by former CIA media analyst Martin Gurri in his fascinating book, The Revolt of the Public.

Gurri explains the effects of this information “tsunami,” which underpinned events from the Arab Spring to Javier Milei’s ascendency in Argentina to the abrupt turnaround of China’s Zero-COVID policies.

The information tsunami has led to a breakdown in the public’s trust in institutions and the elites in charge. Many of us have sensed this happening for years now, but I believe Gurri has done the best job of articulating the nuances of this phenomenon. That’s why I’m so pleased to welcome him to Global Macro Update this week.

In our interview, you will also hear:

Gurri’s forecast for liberal democracy—Will it last?

Whether Silicon Valley’s elite could play a role in a new political structure

Why Gurri sees US politics becoming more splintered, not polarized

Where Gurri sees the limits of government control in China

Watch my interview with Martin Gurri by clicking the image above. A full transcript of our conversation is available here.

Thanks for reading and watching.

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