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norcani's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure how a complete layman would fare with this book but it does a valiant attempt at explaining everything as simple as possible and has a glossary at the end to boot. I was also unfamiliar with a lot of things touched there but I at least have degree in computer sciences, when I imagine a random family member reading it I think they'd be still a little lost.
Still, It is the best resource I've seen yet about this subject at least. Could it be simplified further? Probably, but I don't know how. Maybe cut out the history and just focus on the immediate stuff that impacts the end user..? That would be quite a different book however..
Still, It is the best resource I've seen yet about this subject at least. Could it be simplified further? Probably, but I don't know how. Maybe cut out the history and just focus on the immediate stuff that impacts the end user..? That would be quite a different book however..
fiendfull's review against another edition
4.0
This book, published as The Tangled Web We Weave in the US and The System in the UK, is a look at the internet and how it works, from its inception and the physical infrastructure that makes it work to the companies and money that control many of the platforms and interactions we have with the web. Ball outlines how the internet is a result of decisions, market forces, and government actions, and concludes by looking at the action that can be taken to try and change it to ensure it works for the vast majority, not the few who control it.
Ball provides a useful summary, in different chapters, of different areas of the system that is the internet, starting with its origins and then looking at the physical cables and service providers, then at the tech industry and possibilities of government and other surveillance. The book is designed for complete beginners to reading about these areas, trying to avoid using jargon that isn't explained and not going into technical depth. This makes it particularly useful for people either looking at the internet from more of a social science viewpoint but wanting to know how it works, or for people who want to know more of the history and issues surrounding the internet and how it is controlled.
A useful starting point or general overview for anyone interested in the internet and how it works and is used, this book is an accessible option hopefully likely to inspire further reading or action, particularly as Ball concludes with a call for change, for fighting for tech companies actually paying the taxes they should and not being allowed to use unfair labour conditions as well as for better treatment of people's data. What probably is needed next is more accessible information on how this might happen, but it is important that books like this, aimed at people not necessarily up to date on these tech issues, are published.
Ball provides a useful summary, in different chapters, of different areas of the system that is the internet, starting with its origins and then looking at the physical cables and service providers, then at the tech industry and possibilities of government and other surveillance. The book is designed for complete beginners to reading about these areas, trying to avoid using jargon that isn't explained and not going into technical depth. This makes it particularly useful for people either looking at the internet from more of a social science viewpoint but wanting to know how it works, or for people who want to know more of the history and issues surrounding the internet and how it is controlled.
A useful starting point or general overview for anyone interested in the internet and how it works and is used, this book is an accessible option hopefully likely to inspire further reading or action, particularly as Ball concludes with a call for change, for fighting for tech companies actually paying the taxes they should and not being allowed to use unfair labour conditions as well as for better treatment of people's data. What probably is needed next is more accessible information on how this might happen, but it is important that books like this, aimed at people not necessarily up to date on these tech issues, are published.
vimes_48's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The System is a superb non-technical overview of the evolution of the internet, starting with a group of idealistic post-grads making two computers talk in their university labs to the modern day surveillance economy.
The book is wonderfully accessible, featuring interviews with keynote individuals from Jimmy Wales to the inventor of Real Time Bidding for online ads (it’s all his fault!). Carefully structured it effectively leads the reader through the mechanics, finances and the movers and policymakers of the internet as we know it today.
The book is wonderfully accessible, featuring interviews with keynote individuals from Jimmy Wales to the inventor of Real Time Bidding for online ads (it’s all his fault!). Carefully structured it effectively leads the reader through the mechanics, finances and the movers and policymakers of the internet as we know it today.
ladybookamore's review
5.0
First and foremost, I would like to thank Bloomsbury India for their patience and trust in my work. I apologize for the delay in posting this much-anticipated book review.
The System is one of the most comprehensive nonfiction books on how the ownership of the Internet and how the internet has possessed our movements and ideas in ways unimaginable and unanticipated. In short, it is a phenomenal nonfiction book which deserves a special place in your bookshelf.
Recently, The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary, had taken the world by storm for its controversial and covert revelations regarding data privacy and cookies policy. The fact that our movements on Amazon can be monitored by Facebook is a horrifying reality. While some people were struck with awe, others were frightened to know that an organisation, or a group of organisations, was keeping track on what they do, whom they talk to, and so on. If The Social Dilemma freaked you out, remember this — the documentary is just the tip of the iceberg.
Social media is a small figment in the large ocean known as the Internet. And, The System analyses its socio-economic and political influence on the real world of tangibility. James Ball voices his ideas and opinions in a very structured manner, beginning first with the idea of the Internet as a mass of revolutions. Indeed, the birth and emergence of the Internet had promised its users of a better way of life, with opportunities and faster way of getting multiple tasks done. In 2020, the Internet has come a long way. With advancement in technology, the Internet now is capable of swaying people's emotions as well as the national election results of a country. Today, the internet can turn a dictatorship into a democracy, and a democracy into a dictatorship.
With so much power to transform a community, it is natural to think who controls and maintains the functions of the internet. This is where The System comes in. The author's experience and research finds expression with each turn of the page. Moreover, The System does not merely emphasize on the "bad things" that have happened or are currently happening. The book also talks about what these "bad things" can turn into in the near future.
I cannot comment anymore on the contents of the book, because it is the product of the author's research on the said topic. The only thing I can add to this review is that I will looking forward to more such writings associated with investigative journalism from James Ball. I convey my best wishes to the author for his future endeavours.
The System is one of the most comprehensive nonfiction books on how the ownership of the Internet and how the internet has possessed our movements and ideas in ways unimaginable and unanticipated. In short, it is a phenomenal nonfiction book which deserves a special place in your bookshelf.
Recently, The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary, had taken the world by storm for its controversial and covert revelations regarding data privacy and cookies policy. The fact that our movements on Amazon can be monitored by Facebook is a horrifying reality. While some people were struck with awe, others were frightened to know that an organisation, or a group of organisations, was keeping track on what they do, whom they talk to, and so on. If The Social Dilemma freaked you out, remember this — the documentary is just the tip of the iceberg.
Social media is a small figment in the large ocean known as the Internet. And, The System analyses its socio-economic and political influence on the real world of tangibility. James Ball voices his ideas and opinions in a very structured manner, beginning first with the idea of the Internet as a mass of revolutions. Indeed, the birth and emergence of the Internet had promised its users of a better way of life, with opportunities and faster way of getting multiple tasks done. In 2020, the Internet has come a long way. With advancement in technology, the Internet now is capable of swaying people's emotions as well as the national election results of a country. Today, the internet can turn a dictatorship into a democracy, and a democracy into a dictatorship.
With so much power to transform a community, it is natural to think who controls and maintains the functions of the internet. This is where The System comes in. The author's experience and research finds expression with each turn of the page. Moreover, The System does not merely emphasize on the "bad things" that have happened or are currently happening. The book also talks about what these "bad things" can turn into in the near future.
I cannot comment anymore on the contents of the book, because it is the product of the author's research on the said topic. The only thing I can add to this review is that I will looking forward to more such writings associated with investigative journalism from James Ball. I convey my best wishes to the author for his future endeavours.
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