Great hope and great trepidation have greeted the data and digital technologies transforming our lives. Though many of these transformations yield economic and social benefits, critics worry about what artist Jenny Odell calls “techno manifest-destiny,” a way of thinking that boasts an “impatience with anything nuanced, poetic, or less-than-obvious.” These qualities—subtlety, ambiguity, complexity—are essential to critical thought, which lies at the heart of a healthy democratic society. Join Humanities New York’s presentation of a conversation between best-selling author Jenny Odell and media studies professor Nathan Schneider on the role of digital technology in our lives, at a moment when it seems poised to overthrow our understanding of history, our participation in democracy, and even our sense of self. How can we respond to such encroachments, as individuals and as a community? What tools do we have to critically evaluate information, connect with others, and avoid distraction? Can we “consent to be governed” in a meaningful way in an era of deep fakes and smartphone addiction? How can we envision—much less enact—new possibilities under conditions that foreclose imagination? The humanities offer tools to navigate this landscape and locate its paths of resistance.