EPISODE · Mar 16, 2026 · 56 MIN
The Story of Stories
from The Next Big Idea · host Next Big Idea Club
What do the campfire, printing press, motion picture, and smartphone have in common? They're all storytelling technologies. Each one gave us a new medium through which to transmit tales, reshaping how we think, what we believe, and who holds power. And we may be on the brink of the most disruptive one yet. In his new book, The Story of Stories, Kevin Ashton traces the million-year arc from fireside gossip to the screen in your pocket. Now, with AI-generated imagery and displays approaching the resolution of the human eye, we're heading somewhere new: a world where we may not be able to tell the difference between a story and reality. Watch The Next Big Idea on YouTube! You can find our episodes here. Follow Rufus on LinkedIn, subscribe to our Substack, or send us an email at [email protected]. We love getting fan mail. Sponsored By: Bitdefender — Get 30% off your plan at bitdefender.com/idea Fabric — Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their family at meetfabric.com/nbi Factor — Head to factormeals.com/idea50off and use code idea50off to get 50% off your first box Granola — Get three months free at granola.ai/idea Shopify — Start your $1/month trial at shopify.com/nbi
What this episode covers
What do the campfire, printing press, motion picture, and smartphone have in common? They're all storytelling technologies. Each one gave us a new medium through which to transmit tales, reshaping how we think, what we believe, and who holds power. And we may be on the brink of the most disruptive one yet. In his new book, The Story of Stories, Kevin Ashton traces the million-year arc from fireside gossip to the screen in your pocket. Now, with AI-generated imagery and displays approaching the resolution of the human eye, we're heading somewhere new: a world where we may not be able to tell the difference between a story and reality. Watch The Next Big Idea on YouTube! You can find our episodes here. Follow Rufus on LinkedIn, subscribe to our Substack, or send us an email at [email protected]. We love getting fan mail. Sponsored By: Bitdefender — Get 30% off your plan at bitdefender.com/idea Fabric — Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their family at meetfabric.com/nbi Factor — Head to factormeals.com/idea50off and use code idea50off to get 50% off your first box Granola — Get three months free at granola.ai/idea Shopify — Start your $1/month trial at shopify.com/nbi
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The Story of Stories
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