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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Not only was the topic of the book interesting, but Chayka has an amazing, conversational writing style that makes it easy to read and digest. I will be taking the lessons of this book with me for years to come. 10/10 would personally (not algorithmically) recommend!
informative
medium-paced
I agree with other reviewers who mentioned that this book feels like multiple contradictory books in one. I think that it's tempting to agree that culture is becoming something more homogenous when drawn into the Stanley cup craze on TikTok, but the author's arguments for homogeneity are underdeveloped and confusing at times. He dwells heavily on the "coffeeshop aesthetic" that many of us associate with hipster coffeeshops and questions how coffeeshops scattered all over have the same look and feel. While I think it seems like an interesting jumping off point on the surface, the answer is probably far stupider-trends and marketing! Trends are nothing new, and they existed long before algorithms were 'telling' us what to like or do. I think the coffeeshop argument is less about algorithms leading to coffeeshops looking the same and more about stacking layers of many things (style, trends, paid marketing, etc) leading to a pervasive feeling of same-ness. The coffeeshop argument also kind of falls apart later in the book when the author talks about how much better indie bookshops are than Amazon. Aren't many of them plagued by the same homogeneity as coffeeshops? I think this book would have been far better as three different articles (or perhaps two different articles and a third opinion piece questioning if we are all becoming more boring and bemoaning how Spotify designs their app). I think the author is coming from a vulnerable place of anxiety and fear about what algorithms are doing to culture, but I really found myself internally screaming 'touch grass!' during sections like the Spotify redesign passage about 25% of the way through.
This could have been good. If this is your first introduction to this topic, maybe it is.
I have two major issues.
The first is that everything seems pretty shallow. There’s nothing here that I haven’t read before, and with significantly more depth. Chayka gets so close to considering the systemic forces that drive algorithm culture, and then just… stops. He’ll reinforce how the algorithm is not magic - it is built by humans - but doesn’t really dive into the capitalistic and political forces that drive it. It’s all very surface level.
The other problem is the way the author inserts himself into the text. I’m not inherently against this, and I have read plenty of nonfiction where there adds weight, relatability, emotional impact and/or authority. The problem here is that Chayka comes across as frankly kind of whiny. His anecdotes are written as if they are universal experiences. Even when I related and agreed, I was somehow annoyed about it. There is also way too much focus on his personal media tastes.
The friend that recommended this book to me works in marketing and honestly… that checks out. This book is still incredibly focused on consumption, just so long as it is the right kind of consumption (and of the media Chayka is personally nostalgic for).
I have two major issues.
The first is that everything seems pretty shallow. There’s nothing here that I haven’t read before, and with significantly more depth. Chayka gets so close to considering the systemic forces that drive algorithm culture, and then just… stops. He’ll reinforce how the algorithm is not magic - it is built by humans - but doesn’t really dive into the capitalistic and political forces that drive it. It’s all very surface level.
The other problem is the way the author inserts himself into the text. I’m not inherently against this, and I have read plenty of nonfiction where there adds weight, relatability, emotional impact and/or authority. The problem here is that Chayka comes across as frankly kind of whiny. His anecdotes are written as if they are universal experiences. Even when I related and agreed, I was somehow annoyed about it. There is also way too much focus on his personal media tastes.
The friend that recommended this book to me works in marketing and honestly… that checks out. This book is still incredibly focused on consumption, just so long as it is the right kind of consumption (and of the media Chayka is personally nostalgic for).
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Honestly not that good. I thought it was more of an explanation of some of the algorithms or even the way that people talk about them but it was more around art and culture and not that scientific.
The author is also really annoying, calling out instagram core but also not doing anything to not seek it out. He comes across really smug.
He mentions a few times that the algorithm punishes POC but does nothing to lift those voices.
Finally the relative little he talks about tiktok, Russian bots, and ai looks very ignorant. I can appreciate the book was probably written in 2022, published in 2024 but the timing around ai looks really poor.
Don't read, it was a lot of old man yells at cloud.
The author is also really annoying, calling out instagram core but also not doing anything to not seek it out. He comes across really smug.
He mentions a few times that the algorithm punishes POC but does nothing to lift those voices.
Finally the relative little he talks about tiktok, Russian bots, and ai looks very ignorant. I can appreciate the book was probably written in 2022, published in 2024 but the timing around ai looks really poor.
Don't read, it was a lot of old man yells at cloud.
Yes yes yes! I loved this book. I had already learned the extent of which social media companies track and monetize our activity (“The Social Dilemma”), but this book centers on the algorithms at the heart of social media and advertisements. While most books, articles and podcast episodes focus on how algorithmic recommendations affect politics and social science, Chayka’s book focuses on the cultural aspect. Algorithmic recommendations created by social media companies can cause us to lose our sense of personal taste. Instagram has an algorithmic-curated ‘explore’ page. TikTok has an algorithmic-curated ‘for you’ feed. Do you actually like the content or do you think you like it because you are being told it is made for you? Did you know Netflix customizes the thumbnail images based on who they think you are and your viewing profile? So if “they” think you are a big action fan, they will show you the action scene of a show even if it is a rom-com.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced