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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. Solid reporting and good story telling, but it failed to hold my interest for extended periods of time. I think that’s more about me than the authors’ writing. The book paints a compelling picture of Zuckerberg as an intellectual light weight who is more likely to take the easy way out than to grapple with the hard questions his platform raises and Sandberg as someone who never moved beyond her A-student persona. I got a little lost in the technical weeds, which is where I struggled to keep interest. Overall the book provides a good overview of the ongoing evolution of Facebook’s influence on society and the major issues it raises. It also does a good job of giving you insight into the two major players’ personalities. It wasn’t quite as gripping as I’d hoped it would be but that might just be overexposure to Facebook and its issues at this point.
I knew Facebook has never placed much importance on user safety but i had NO IDEA it was this bad! All the lying, misinterpretation of the law to accommodate the company's agenda, man.... these people are shady as hell!
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Read a Dutch version
Why only 3.5 stars?
This non-fiction book on Mark Zuckerberg and his company was a wild ride. Though I did not actually learn many new things - most of them have been talked about in press releases throughout the years or in interviews with the writers when the book came out - I did find myself still wanting to read more and more. It felt quite mind-boggling at times how we let this happen. But because it didn't contain too many surprises, I did find myself wanting more than the book gave.
Should you read this book?
Yes, because it is a good idea to read a non-fiction book about something that is still relevant today. And it's a very easy ready - the writers definitely made it appealing to a broad audience. I'm quite certain anyone who lives today will find bits of this to be relatable and also terrifying.
Extensive review:
A lot has been said about this book, so I won't write the biggest extensive review ever. I feel like a lot of people have strong negative opinions on Facebook and this book was basically a long "you're absolutely right, this is awful" with countless facts to support that. It gave some more insight into both Zuckerberg and his #2 who isn't his number two anymore with office politics. And it was just very fascinating to read about the different Threads that employees apparently have and get some in depth coverage of exactly how things went down and how many crossroads of warnings were blatantly ignored.
Even when I got to the end, with the January 6th attacks, I again found myself thinking: HOW DID WE GET HERE? Even though I just read over 250+ pages explaining just how important the platform finds user engagement rather than protecting the world. If I hadn't known it was truly our life and our world, I would've believed it was fiction.
The writing itself is also amazing. There's not a ton of footnotes to break up the text and it really does read like a story with each chapter dealing with a specific issue or a specific period. Though the main 'characters' didn't actually agree to an interview for the book, there's plenty of anecdotes and dialogue provided by those around them to make it an easy read and a great non-fiction starter.
Why only 3.5 stars?
This non-fiction book on Mark Zuckerberg and his company was a wild ride. Though I did not actually learn many new things - most of them have been talked about in press releases throughout the years or in interviews with the writers when the book came out - I did find myself still wanting to read more and more. It felt quite mind-boggling at times how we let this happen. But because it didn't contain too many surprises, I did find myself wanting more than the book gave.
Should you read this book?
Yes, because it is a good idea to read a non-fiction book about something that is still relevant today. And it's a very easy ready - the writers definitely made it appealing to a broad audience. I'm quite certain anyone who lives today will find bits of this to be relatable and also terrifying.
Extensive review:
A lot has been said about this book, so I won't write the biggest extensive review ever. I feel like a lot of people have strong negative opinions on Facebook and this book was basically a long "you're absolutely right, this is awful" with countless facts to support that. It gave some more insight into both Zuckerberg and his #2 who isn't his number two anymore with office politics. And it was just very fascinating to read about the different Threads that employees apparently have and get some in depth coverage of exactly how things went down and how many crossroads of warnings were blatantly ignored.
Even when I got to the end, with the January 6th attacks, I again found myself thinking: HOW DID WE GET HERE? Even though I just read over 250+ pages explaining just how important the platform finds user engagement rather than protecting the world. If I hadn't known it was truly our life and our world, I would've believed it was fiction.
The writing itself is also amazing. There's not a ton of footnotes to break up the text and it really does read like a story with each chapter dealing with a specific issue or a specific period. Though the main 'characters' didn't actually agree to an interview for the book, there's plenty of anecdotes and dialogue provided by those around them to make it an easy read and a great non-fiction starter.
With humble origins of starting a website to rate whether girls were hot or not, Zuck is perpetually confused and upset that people don't recognise him as a amazing philanthropist.
This book is about the behind-the-scenes drama at Facebook and how the site misuses the data it collects from users. The book is mostly a history of the company from its founding until 2019-ish.
Don't read this book if you want to be happy. Facebook is an infuriating company. They spy on everything you do online and use that data to target specific ads at you. (That's how Facebook reads your mind. They know so much about you that they can predict what you need before you realize you need it.) Facebook has gotten in trouble many times for invading privacy and not keeping user data secure. They just apologize and keep misusing data, which is annoying.
The book also talks about misinformation and if Facebook has a responsibility to control it. The company is very reluctant to fact check posts or take down hateful content, which means they ignored warnings and looked the other way while Facebook misinformation fueled the mass murder of Muslims in Myanmar.
I guess I can't hate Facebook too much because they're in a no-win situation with misinformation. They're too big to check every post in every language. Then, there's the blurry lines between information and misinformation. Like, is satire misinformation because not everybody understands jokes? What about information that's true but worded in misleading ways? Should politicians be exempt from rules because it's important for voters to know what their leaders are thinking? Facebook can't win at managing misinformation, so users need be better about not sharing garbage.
For me, the most infuriating thing about Facebook is that they discovered how to create a happier, more factually accurate news feed. They chose not to use it because shock and outrage keep people on the site longer. Facebook's algorithm will keep boosting posts that make people hate each other because that's how Facebook makes money. They can serve you ads with your outrage.
I think Facebook's biggest problem is that they care about growth and money more than anything else. They'll eagerly treat Facebook users like lab rats if they can profit from it. The company is growing so fast that they can't keep up with the problems that come with rapid growth.
Okay, that's it. I'm done blathering about Facebook. Let's talk about the book for a second: If you've been following news about Facebook for years, then you probably won't learn a ton from reading An Ugly Truth. A lot of the information in the book has been reported on before. I still think you should read it, though. Clearly, I got a lot out of it. It's one of the most thought-provoking things I've read this year.
Don't read this book if you want to be happy. Facebook is an infuriating company. They spy on everything you do online and use that data to target specific ads at you. (That's how Facebook reads your mind. They know so much about you that they can predict what you need before you realize you need it.) Facebook has gotten in trouble many times for invading privacy and not keeping user data secure. They just apologize and keep misusing data, which is annoying.
The book also talks about misinformation and if Facebook has a responsibility to control it. The company is very reluctant to fact check posts or take down hateful content, which means they ignored warnings and looked the other way while Facebook misinformation fueled the mass murder of Muslims in Myanmar.
I guess I can't hate Facebook too much because they're in a no-win situation with misinformation. They're too big to check every post in every language. Then, there's the blurry lines between information and misinformation. Like, is satire misinformation because not everybody understands jokes? What about information that's true but worded in misleading ways? Should politicians be exempt from rules because it's important for voters to know what their leaders are thinking? Facebook can't win at managing misinformation, so users need be better about not sharing garbage.
For me, the most infuriating thing about Facebook is that they discovered how to create a happier, more factually accurate news feed. They chose not to use it because shock and outrage keep people on the site longer. Facebook's algorithm will keep boosting posts that make people hate each other because that's how Facebook makes money. They can serve you ads with your outrage.
I think Facebook's biggest problem is that they care about growth and money more than anything else. They'll eagerly treat Facebook users like lab rats if they can profit from it. The company is growing so fast that they can't keep up with the problems that come with rapid growth.
Okay, that's it. I'm done blathering about Facebook. Let's talk about the book for a second: If you've been following news about Facebook for years, then you probably won't learn a ton from reading An Ugly Truth. A lot of the information in the book has been reported on before. I still think you should read it, though. Clearly, I got a lot out of it. It's one of the most thought-provoking things I've read this year.
Pretty damning account of the Facebook executives, who just don't seem to get it. Great reporting and research.
informative
sad
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
medium-paced