In light of the Cambridge analytics scandal, fake news, pervasive click bait etc tech guru Lanier's book feels, if anything, a little too late. But despite the polemic sounding title, he largely manages to stay out of rant mode.Having OD'd on twitter experiments around 2009, I am no longer a heavy user of social media. Twitter, I post on once in a blue moon, and almost never check it. Linked-In might be a weekly check. Ah, but Facebook - I rarely post on my own page - but I probably do like/comment on others multiple times a day. I'm also a recovering user of various forums. Oh, and a growing YouTube habit as well. Damn, they have me.
But I also run with various ad-blockers, time limiters, don't have any of the apps on my phone and my Facebook feed has various modifiers so don't see it. The last of these was because I realised I was liking and commenting on posts I rarely saw anymore as well as being drawn moth-like to uncannily relevant ads.
Many of Lanier's arguments were familiar to me, but he writes in an engaging style and calls out the big social media companies for what they are - all pervasive surveillance and highly persuasive behavioural modification engines that are changing us for the worse. I was struck by the chapter covering kindness and empathy and how social media tends to amplify grumpiness and general assholery. I've also noticed a mild tension if I have too much screen time before I meditate each day.
Will I be deleting my social media accounts? Probably not, but I think I'm going to take more breaks - likely starting with one or two days a week.
Verdict: Illuminating call to arms.
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