999,00 EGP
Description
Price: $9.99
(as of Dec 23,2024 00:51:59 UTC – Details)
Customers say
Customers find the book informative and interesting. They appreciate the clear writing style and historical background provided in the early chapters. However, some readers feel the book devolves into a highly partisan, one-sided view of social media.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Wow…I didn’t know
Wow very informative book. This book is not for the faint of heart. But if you want to know the dark side of the internet I believe this is the book you want to read.
Used by the media an expose’
Profound and incisive review of the new media world. Afterwards, you feel like the pawn media wants you to be. You’re profit.
Facebook-focused, yet interesting to know
I’ll be honest.. I never bought this book due to its cover. Yet I had to buy it for a class, and I found it quite interesting. If you want to learn more about algorithm & manipulation, especially regarding Facebook (and some Instagram too), then I think it’d be a good choice! One critique is that, although expansive, the chapters are immensely long (25-40 pages per chapter) and sometimes the topics jump around in an attempt to be cohesive.. yet constant reminders (ex.: “and [insert name], the [insert title]” as an attempt to jog your memory who he is referencing) of previously discussed people, topics, etc. break that cohesiveness as it is a long “information dump” with jumps to the past. Overall, I think it is good if you’d like to learn about what I mentioned earlier and I would suggest to supplicate this with other related books as well.
An Important Study of Social Media’s Impact on the Way WeThink
An exhaustively researched and utterly fascinating, riveting read. It’s packed with all kinds of horrific real-world examples of tech gone wrong, whether the carrot at the end of the stick is seemingly unlimited greed, power, political sway , or the spread of misinformation. Particularly interesting is near the end of the book which explains how Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and Google all profited from letting Trump and his cronies run rampant with conspiracy theories and other MAGA- oriented lies before he got elected. There are so many thought-provoking stories here about how our society became so divided it’s an essential read.
Intentional Divisiveness in Social Media Makes Money
Among the petty annoyances I hear about social media lies a far more serious issue. The realization by the social media creators that the way to get more clicks and more screen time from the user is to drive the user into emotionally charged discussions. The best emotionally charged discussions are really about hate and divisiveness. The examples of Gamergate, Charlottesville, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and the Trump voters demonstrate the unwillingness of the social media companies to police dangerous and misleading posts since these are the posts that generate the most revenue. Frankly, this is a bit terrifying.
A Detailed Accounting of Willful Negligence
This isn’t the first book written about the negative effects of social media on individuals and society, but it’s one of the most important. For a start the author’s sources are as unimpeachable as you’re likely to find. They include the likes of former Silicon Valley venture capitalists, Google and Facebook engineers, and people who held leadership positions for these and other companies. The things you learn come directly from the people who enabled and created the very algorithms which are at the root of the problems we face (rampant promoting of misinformation and divisive content, encouraging anger and outrage, etc.)You learn not just what the algorithms do but why they were set up that way. That in the end, Facebook, Google, Twitter and others make their money by blindly assuming that algorithms which train users to spend more and more time on their platforms, is not only good for their bottom line, but good for users. This despite strong evidence that â by design â their systems tap into human addiction mechanisms and psychology, in ways that make us more and more unhappy, the further down the rabbit hole we go. Perhaps most astonishing is the fact that the algorithms have become so automated, that if you ask Facebook and Google today how it works, they will flat out tell you that they don’t know. While this may give them some feeling of plausible deniability it does nothing to diminish their responsibility for the harmful impacts of their technology.Equally important as the sourcing and detailed reporting, the author’s writing style is quite approachable. So even if you’re not technically inclined, you won’t get left behind. He does not rely on a lot of technical jargon or concepts to get his points across, which is important when targeting a broad audience.Highly recommended.(And hoping this book ends up in many collegiate classrooms where it can help inform tomorrow’s engineers and CEOs.)
Informative and Eye-opening
I enjoyed this book because it was well written, engaging, and informative. I will never get on the internet again, look at a news site or a You Tube video without remembering that whatever I choose can lead down a never-ending rabbit hole because of built-in algorithms. I know that I can just look at one garden composter on the internet, and I’m pulled into ads and info on composters for days afterwards. If I ignore them, they go away…at last. This book explains how and why that happens and tells important stories of the violence that has even occurred in many places as a result of some of the falsehoods people have followed online when they too have found themselves unwittingly down dark rabbit holes.
A very important read
If you want to know the real reason why we, as a nation, have become so divided politically, then read this book. Itâs the media, all media, but especially social media. Itâs the propaganda and misinformation that comes not only from our fellow citizens, but also from foreign sources. How and why this has happened is explained in this revealing, well researched and well written book. How we got to where we are is important to know and this book will tell you the history in great detail.
This is great journalism on an issue that is happening real time. The “engagement” algorithm that causes people to burn their neighbours’ homes down is the same formula drawing the Republican party toward the far right. The big tech companies that are now locked in to the engagement algorithm for their financial livelihood are runaway trains. They are like the social equivalents of A-bombs now. The only “safe way” to use the engagement algorithm is not to use it.
A deep analysis of what is wrong with social media, and its consequences around the world. The hate and polarization in many countries today, explained.
Spannende Einblicke in die Entwicklungen und die Welt rund um Social Media.
Deep study of how social media mind influencing and wiring happens to human conscience, influencing actions and other outcomes triggering uncertainty to world order, orchestrating chaos and demonic use of algo explained with real life incidences, anecdotes and necessary churning points of history. This books offers comprehensive view of the subject and reduces the necessity of read any other book on similar /same object thereby making worthy time investment to study, perceive and analyse.
An outstanding, thoroughly researched book written in clear, direct language. Goes well beyond the superficial problems created by social media we are all aware of into the history and, above all, data, behind them, to paint an altogether terrifying picture of the dangers of this online world. Social media is responsible for drastically changing global mentalities and we all have a responsibility to understand this – thank you Mr. Fisher for enlightening us. We should all, we must all, read this book.