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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
Adversarial interoperability is a very unweildy term but I kept having to translate comcom back to that because the meaning of the latter just didn't stick
challenging
hopeful
informative
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism, Stalking
Doctorow kicks his childish ranting and name calling up to 11 for this one and it is clearly meant to preach to the choir, not attract new converts. If you know you already agree with Corey and desperately want your priors confirmed then this book is for you.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
A quick, informative and accessible read on why Big Techs (like Meta and Google) are bad for us and how we can break them up, with realistic suggestions.
[T]ech-free, fair, open tech-is a precondition for winning those other fights. Winning the fight for better tech won't solve those other problems, but losing the fight for better tech extinguishes any hope of winning those more important fights.
I fully agree with the importance and necessity of technology in the fight against The Power That Be. For one, social media has been integral in raising awareness about the genocide in Gaza and the history of the occupation. I for one would not have learned about it if it wasn't for the work of activists who make content on social media. Like the author, I believe that "free, fair and open" technology can be extremely helpful in mobilizing the collective.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
informative
fast-paced
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This is the third book about Big Tech and the internet that I have read recently. The first two are The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and Chokepoint Capitalism. This is the most nerdy of the three as it goes into detail about the underpinnings of the internet and how they affect business and consumers. That said, it is a very engaging, interesting, and accessible read.
In part one, entitled "Seize the Means of Computation", the author explains how Big Tech got big through network effects and by helping the government deliver on beating the "bad guys". He then introduces the concept of adversarial interoperability. This would mean that you could leave Facebook and still interact with your friends there. The term is a mouthful. He helped coin a better term: competitive compatibility, or comcom for short. In part two, the author addresses many of the objections that come up when this solution is offered. These are "What about" questions like, "What about privacy?", "What about harassment?", and "What about child porn?"
Of these three books about technology and our modern world, this is the best for the general reader. For that reason, I would recommend this book first of the three. It is not the most thorough with the most documentation. That would be The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. But if you want a quick, easy read to better understand how we got in this mess with Big Tech and how we can get out of it, this is the book to read.
My rating: 5/5
challenging
informative
medium-paced