Author: Siva Vaidhyanathan
In this offering Vaidhyanathan argues that Facebook isn’t all that it seems. Though developed to become a tool for good, Facebook also has a dark side – one that is eroding human relationships and having a hand in electing dubious leaders.
Antisocial Media explores how Facebook has managed to redirect advertising revenue from traditional news outlets to itself, contributing to the struggle of much of the media industry that have for years provided citizens with news and food for thought.
The book paints a scary picture of Facebook as it sets the super social media machine at the heart of campaigns that have resulted in leaders such as Donald Trump and Duterte in the Philippines coming into power.
It reflects on how because social media has become a regular presence in our daily lives we are constantly feeding Facebook data which can then be used against us during a campaign with targeted Facebook ads.
Antisocial Media is a very important book in our day and age. We constantly share, like and comment on posts on Facebook without thinking of the repercussions our actions could have or how those interactions could be used against us.
It raises very important questions which we should all be asking ourselves. Is Facebook broadening our view of the world, offering us a look into other point of views? Or is it narrowing our field of vision by using its algorithms to feed us more of what we like? Are ads targeted at us thanks to Facebook profiling helping us form an opinion or manipulating our voting intentions?
Vaidhyanathan paints a rather harsh picture of how Facebook could be affecting our political lives. Is it fostering democratic deliberation or fostering a kind of marketing that could be damaging electoral processes?
Antisocial Media is both an informative read and a book that clearly delivers the authors point of view carefully backed by thorough research and arguments. Facebook is currently the biggest media company in the world.
In the words of Vaidhyanathan, “Facebook is too big to tame. The ideology of corporate social responsibility prevents Mark Zuckerberg from even acknowledging the malevolence set loose by his invention.”
> Naomi Round
