Welcome to Litsy!

It took me 11 months, but I finally finished this! Really great book about cybersecurity: accessible to non-specialists while including lots of detail. Shapiro writes in a highly informative yet slightly sardonic voice that I enjoyed.

Can't say that I completely understood everything Lanier said, but I did get the main message: social media is ruining the world and we are its slaves. Not Litsy.

A good book with great information and a terrible reminder that absolutely nothing has changed, for the better, since this book was published.

I'm not sure if this short book was compelling on its own or just along with my other reading/experiences, but it definitely struck a chord for me. A Silicon Valley insider, Lanier makes a distinction between social media that uses what he terms BUMMER algorithms to target and manipulate users and other, less insidious types of online interaction. I don't like his Solitary/Pack terminology, but aside from that, it's a very convincing read.

"Project Shield was established to protect dissidents against repressive governments. Brian Krebs, however, needed protection from three teenagers."

"What if listening to an inner voice or heeding a passion for ethics or beauty were to lead to more important work in the long term, even if it measured as less successful in the moment? What if deeply reaching a small number of people matters more than reaching everybody with nothing?"

As one whose passion for blogging diminished with the push to focus on SEO and who's feeling odd about using IG to promote voiceover work, this quote resonates.

"The internet tidal wave would be followed by a hacking tsunami"

1. I feel okay today. Exercise class was fun, and we got some much needed rain.
2. Yes. It‘s how I stay in touch with some of my friends and get some (but not all) of my news. On the other hand, it can also be frivolous at best and mean spirited. I make a point not to argue with strangers, as tempting as it may be.
3. When I shut it down a couple hours before bedtime (except for Litsy of course), I‘ve found that helps.
#mentalhealthmonday

I applied to the Amazon Publishing Creator Program and they accepted me. Yay! I don‘t know what social content inspiration means but I‘m glad they‘re giving me a chance.

I was eager to read this book and quickly grabbed it off of the library shelf when it arrived, but I‘m so glad to have finished it. The author has been closely reporting on the right, in fascist and highly abusive spaces for a while now; this isn‘t easy. Here, she tells the story of how Fred Brennan‘s creation of 8chan birthed the nightmare we are seeing in America today, and reminds us that you cannot separate racism from misogyny. This ⬇️