Welcome to Litsy!

This probably isn‘t a fair rating, it is well written and researched, but I started skimming because I knew most of the information & reliving it made me want to delete all my social media accounts and throw my smartphone into the sea.

This was a fascinating read. Lots of research, insight into famous cases and less loud ones. I thought I was pretty well informed, but there is so much underneath it all. “Algorithm has no moral compass”.
But ultimately it‘s a story of tremendous greed. And we are living it. This is a must read

Can I count this as horror because the content is pretty scary? 😱

Did every page, paragraph, sentence or word make me angry? Yes. Pretty much rage read this one.

I waited a long time for my library hold to come in. As soon as I finished, I bought multiple copies to distribute. Libraries definitely generate book sales.

Basically, because social media puts engagement above all else the algorithms running the sites aggressively promote posts that have high engagement. Moral outrage against people you already disagree with is really engaging, leading to more extreme posts being pushed. This makes more extremist views seem normal and consensus that agrees with those views seem stronger than it is in society as a whole. A toxic mix, as shown in multiple examples.

#firstlinefridays

“The germs are ours, but Facebook is the wind”

An apt description, sadly. This a depressing but important book so far.

What great name for a researcher whose work was instrumental in the history of electronics! 😜

#librarybookhaul
Holds came in!

This book is going to do my head right in. But such an incredibly important book.

Read. This. Book!

I can‘t recommend highly enough. This was an absolutely random pick as I was running out of the library at closing time, but it will stick with me. I tell anyone/everyone I‘m talking to about it.

Terrifying. Eye-opening. Well researched. Clearly articulated.

Seriously… Read. This. Book!

I can think of a few other titles that work equally well for this book. Nightmare Machine. Terror Machine. Outrage Machine. Radicalization Machine. Polarization Machine. Destruction Machine. Emphasis on Machine. With the rise of AI algorithms, the humans have left the building. But they aren‘t off the hook. As long as decisions are made to prioritize profit over human wellbeing and development, it will keep getting worse. A sobering read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Easily one of the best books I‘ve read in months (and I read voraciously). Terrifying, well-researched, engaging explanation of the algorithms that the major social media companies use to drive engagement and the consequences of this across countries. Our users had the germs, but Facebook was the wind will stick with me for awhile. Highly, highly recommend!