By defining or creating a private sphere, a place where the individual is relatively free,

what happens is that the borders of the state and the borders of the public eye are bounded.

By creating a private sphere, you effectively create this space of freedom.

I think many social problems in society today, people tend to blame on new technology.

I just don't think technology is that terministic. There's no way you could defend privacy

if you don't also defend the kind of right of people to close the door as and when they choose

and see fit. Hello, welcome back to the Brendan O'Neill Show with me, Brendan O'Neill,

and my special guest this week, Tiffany, welcome to the show.

I pleasure to be here.

It's great to have you on.

Your first time on, hopefully not your last,

and we need to talk about your new book,

Strangers and Intimates,

The Rise and Fall of Private Life. I have to say, and I'm not just saying this to blow

smoke, this book is superb. It really is an excellent, deep, historical dive into the ideas

behind private life and public life, the relationship between the two.

It is a fascinating read. I've got a million questions to ask you about it, and I'll try and squeeze in as many as I can in this podcast.

But I guess let's kick off with what stirred you to write the book. As I say, there's loads of history in it, and I've got some questions on that for you. But I guess what really triggered you was the kind of contemporary contradictions on

private life, where on the one hand, people often demand privacy these days, but at the same time,

we're expected to live as publicly as possible, to show everything in the public realm, to put

ourselves constantly online. Was it those

kinds of trends that made you think you needed to really have a look at these ideas and what they

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