so-soThis 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.
pickAwesome intro to how data models can inadvertently (or advertently) screw individuals and society over. Was going to be a great prelude to a data training but then the rona hit.
pickThis 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.
pickBasically, 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.
“The germs are ours, but Facebook is the wind”
An apt description, sadly. This a depressing but important book so far.
Leapt to the top of my TBR list as soon as I saw it.
