HOMO DIGITALIS Format: Paperback

‘All new technology is accompanied with great expectations on the one hand and great fear on the other. Thierry Geerts reduces the digital revolution to its true proportions and shows that we control the impact of technology ourselves: technology becomes what we make of it. Few are better placed than the author to clearly define the potential, the tasks, and the responsibility that awaits each and every one of us.’ – Caroline Pauwels, rector of the VUB

‘After Digitalis drew up the contours of the new digital world, Homo digitalis now describes how we can appropriate it so that digitalisation will benefit humanity. But instead of trying to convince at all costs, Thierry Geerts puts things in perspective. With great expertise, he guides us through numerous groundbreaking initiatives that start-ups and companies in Europe have often developed.‘– Alain Gerlache, journalist

‘This book couldn't have come out at a better time. Change can be scary for many, but above all, it brings many opportunities. Thierry Geerts fantastically explains how Digitalis can be an inclusive place where social mobility and equality are self-evident. Now it’s up to our entrepreneurs, policymakers, and each of us as individuals to gear up and resolutely opt for the digital future.’ – Yasmien Naciri, entrepreneur and marketer

‘Think about the reasons for technology. That is the challenge that Thierry Geerts takes on with gusto and enthusiasm in this fascinating book.’ – Laurent Hublet, co-founder and CEO of BeCentral, the largest digitalis campus in Europe

In Homo digitalis, Thierry Geerts, CEO of Google Belgium and Luxembourg, looks at the dangers and opportunities of the digital revolution. Without taboos and with an eye to the future, he offers thoughtful examples of how digitalization affects us as people and as a society. His conclusion is clear: technology is neutral, and it’s up to people to use it consciously and confidently. If we do that, digitalization will make us happier, with more time for creativity, personal development, healthcare, and the things that really matter. Then we’ll become more human and we homo sapiens will turn into homo digitalis.

Thierry Geerts has been the head of Google Belgium and Luxembourg since 2011. He graduated from the VUB as a Solvay Business Engineer. He started working at VUM (now Mediahuis) where he held various management positions.