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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Gave up due to the flowery prose, feels like the narrative would be great, but one for blinkist or similar to summarise
Good but very demanding read. First time a book took me six months as I had to start and stop multiple times over. Shoshana makes a strong case, builds it on solid arguments on a subject that will be on people minds and discussion more and more. The way she projects her thoughts and her step by step approach made it a very difficult to follow as the proof path was very exhausting. It had the feeling of reading an academic paper after an academic paper... nothing bad taking into account the subject and the profession of the author.
For those that will not read it definitely check it out. Last week I saw the paperback in a bookstore which made it for me the first time that I bought the hardcover close to its release date and up until reading it paperback was released.
For those that will not read it definitely check it out. Last week I saw the paperback in a bookstore which made it for me the first time that I bought the hardcover close to its release date and up until reading it paperback was released.
A telling book about all the dirty tactics big corps use to gain information. Author also hates pokemon go.
The book falls down because its conclusions are far too absolutist - it focuses on the words of Great Men, such as CEOs and academic theorists, over the experiences of people at the receiving end of the surveillance capitalism described here. There's something serious to be written on this subject, but this is mostly extrapolation from intent, rather than empirical reportage of affect. The book claims power by asserting quite histrionic naming of the phenomena that it describes, and repeats itself endlessly. It's a shame, because it's a serious and intelligent discursion that is clearly entered into earnestly. But we really need to know less about what Eric Schmidt might have said and more the corrupting effect on those less powerful. The omissions here, such as a lack of description of the way the alt-right has managed to take advantage of YouTube's algorithms, are significant. It's unclear, also, what the writer would have us do differently. I didn't come away from the book feeling as if I'd really learned anything, or wished to pursue any of the ideas discussed any further.
As someone who loves to romanticize life, Zuboff's exploration of surveillance capitalism adds a bittersweet layer to my reflections on our digital age. Philosophically, Zuboff’s work offers a monumental exploration of the ethical and existential dimensions of surveillance capitalism. She invites us to reconsider how this new capitalist model affects our notions of freedom, democracy, and human agency. By tracing the evolution of surveillance capitalism within a broader historical context of power and control, Zuboff’s analysis challenges us to reflect on the moral and philosophical implications of a world where our digital identities are systematically exploited.
Full review at https://annlikestoread.substack.com/p/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism
Full review at https://annlikestoread.substack.com/p/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism
This was a challening read- both in terms of the content and the level of vocabulary/writing style that was used.
In terms of the content, Shoshana has written a polemic on the rise of "big data" companies. She argues that the business structure of these companies, which she has termed "surveillance capitalism", is predatory and has invaded our privacy without our consent. We are the raw material that is being sold, and what are we getting out of it? this aspect was challenging because there are aspects of life that are much easier from the use of Google or Facebook's services, and resistance is in some way futile. It is up to policy makers to regulate these companies before it is too late.
" Before we begin, I want to say a word about vocabulary. Ant confrontation with the unprecedented requires new language, and I introduce new terms when existing language fails to capture a new phenomenon"
In terms of the vocabulary, this book was hard to read. Often times groups of 5-10 descriptors were used in a row to drive home a point. there were times where these descriptors needed to be fleshed out to be a bit clearer. I think if I was more passionate about the topic I would have taken more time to reflect on why she used each of these and why.
Read this book if you are economically minded or willing to put in the work to get into a philosophical, political, economic mindset. This is a BIG picture book. For a general audience it may fall a bit flat- it was a little too verbose for me. Overall, I am better of having read it but it will require re-visiting or expanding upon for me to have a conversation about this topic.
In terms of the content, Shoshana has written a polemic on the rise of "big data" companies. She argues that the business structure of these companies, which she has termed "surveillance capitalism", is predatory and has invaded our privacy without our consent. We are the raw material that is being sold, and what are we getting out of it? this aspect was challenging because there are aspects of life that are much easier from the use of Google or Facebook's services, and resistance is in some way futile. It is up to policy makers to regulate these companies before it is too late.
" Before we begin, I want to say a word about vocabulary. Ant confrontation with the unprecedented requires new language, and I introduce new terms when existing language fails to capture a new phenomenon"
In terms of the vocabulary, this book was hard to read. Often times groups of 5-10 descriptors were used in a row to drive home a point. there were times where these descriptors needed to be fleshed out to be a bit clearer. I think if I was more passionate about the topic I would have taken more time to reflect on why she used each of these and why.
Read this book if you are economically minded or willing to put in the work to get into a philosophical, political, economic mindset. This is a BIG picture book. For a general audience it may fall a bit flat- it was a little too verbose for me. Overall, I am better of having read it but it will require re-visiting or expanding upon for me to have a conversation about this topic.
An important, but long-winded read that ends up being less impactful than I’d expected, as it never seemed to get to its point, though it might be because of some of the following reasons.
I’m familiar with AI ethics issues, so some of the points and legal issues brought forward here weren’t new. I’m also familiar with the technical aspects, so I guess I’m missing out on some of the astonishment. Perhaps more significantly, I feel that the authors stance on free will is different than mine. The free will debate may be ongoing, but it is far from scientifically controversial to say that many (if not all) significant aspects of a persons’ behaviour are shaped by factors outside of their control. Therefore, numerous passages quoting a bunch of tech giants saying something along the lines of how they’ll build a world where Alexa lives in your spleen and manipulates you into buying endless supplies of tchotchkes and druid outfits from Wish doesn’t seem far fetched. If anyhting, I find it more disquieting because they might succeed. What’s more, these tools aren’t going away, and I feel the book missed an opportunity to highlight how much benefit behavioural surplus could yield if it were used for some other purpose (only one was brought up in the whole text), and what an absolute travesty it is that it’s being used for some variation of the above example. All of these wouldn’t be significant issues if the author didn’t list adjectives or adverbs in threes what felt like every five minutes. What information I learned from the book was useful, I only wish it were not surrounded by dramatic descriptions of Spanish bakeries. That’s just a personal preference on style which I prefer for journalistic writing (and it might also have to do with the fact that I listened to this as an audiobook), but I felt the book was too wordy, and as a result, the arguments seem obfuscated to me. Despite all this, I’m definitely glad I listened to the book: it provides a good discussion on a topic that is currently important, and brings up some good points to ponder, so I’m giving it four stars. Even if you don’t agree with the analysis, it provides a lot of information on IoT, tracking, data collection etc. that everyone should be educated about.
I’m familiar with AI ethics issues, so some of the points and legal issues brought forward here weren’t new. I’m also familiar with the technical aspects, so I guess I’m missing out on some of the astonishment. Perhaps more significantly, I feel that the authors stance on free will is different than mine. The free will debate may be ongoing, but it is far from scientifically controversial to say that many (if not all) significant aspects of a persons’ behaviour are shaped by factors outside of their control. Therefore, numerous passages quoting a bunch of tech giants saying something along the lines of how they’ll build a world where Alexa lives in your spleen and manipulates you into buying endless supplies of tchotchkes and druid outfits from Wish doesn’t seem far fetched. If anyhting, I find it more disquieting because they might succeed. What’s more, these tools aren’t going away, and I feel the book missed an opportunity to highlight how much benefit behavioural surplus could yield if it were used for some other purpose (only one was brought up in the whole text), and what an absolute travesty it is that it’s being used for some variation of the above example. All of these wouldn’t be significant issues if the author didn’t list adjectives or adverbs in threes what felt like every five minutes. What information I learned from the book was useful, I only wish it were not surrounded by dramatic descriptions of Spanish bakeries. That’s just a personal preference on style which I prefer for journalistic writing (and it might also have to do with the fact that I listened to this as an audiobook), but I felt the book was too wordy, and as a result, the arguments seem obfuscated to me. Despite all this, I’m definitely glad I listened to the book: it provides a good discussion on a topic that is currently important, and brings up some good points to ponder, so I’m giving it four stars. Even if you don’t agree with the analysis, it provides a lot of information on IoT, tracking, data collection etc. that everyone should be educated about.
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This was a good book and very thorough but the author kind of acts like she discovered these concepts which is definitely not the case! Still worth reading if you are interested in this area.
Took me a while to get through this one since, though I am generally interested in the subject, I found it terribly boring.
Don't get me wrong, what's in the book is a lot of good an important information that is undermined by how unnecessarily long this book is. It simply could have been half the length. At least.
But more than that, I struggle to think of who this book is actually for. To me, someone with an interest in the topic but who is far from a academic in it, this text was a lot of information that I already knew without many insights I found original (not to say there were no original insights, but the book wasn't rife with them in the context of its length). To me, the book was tangential, often leaving its subject to setup an analogy presumably anyone who was reading it would already be familiar with. They weren't especially complicated. When it wasn't off topic, it waxed poetic rather than deliver new insight or creative challenges. This was terribly dry, despite a fervent agreement with the author's views, which should have made it riveting.
So, I thought, is this book an introduction to this topic? It certainly covers the topic with breadth, and would certainly be an excellent and detailed tome on the current problems brought about by its subject. However, were a reader not firmly on-side with the author already, I fear it may be taken as too preachy on the matter.
As someone interested in this subject, it took me over a year to slowly get through when I was in the mood to bulldoze. It took stubbornness I didn't know I had. And has been a lesson on putting down books that I think have plenty of good information but find utterly boring.
This has been immensely negative, so I feel the need to say I don't think it's a bad book per-se - again, it covers its subject with respectable breadth - I just didn't get on with it.
Don't get me wrong, what's in the book is a lot of good an important information that is undermined by how unnecessarily long this book is. It simply could have been half the length. At least.
But more than that, I struggle to think of who this book is actually for. To me, someone with an interest in the topic but who is far from a academic in it, this text was a lot of information that I already knew without many insights I found original (not to say there were no original insights, but the book wasn't rife with them in the context of its length). To me, the book was tangential, often leaving its subject to setup an analogy presumably anyone who was reading it would already be familiar with. They weren't especially complicated. When it wasn't off topic, it waxed poetic rather than deliver new insight or creative challenges. This was terribly dry, despite a fervent agreement with the author's views, which should have made it riveting.
So, I thought, is this book an introduction to this topic? It certainly covers the topic with breadth, and would certainly be an excellent and detailed tome on the current problems brought about by its subject. However, were a reader not firmly on-side with the author already, I fear it may be taken as too preachy on the matter.
As someone interested in this subject, it took me over a year to slowly get through when I was in the mood to bulldoze. It took stubbornness I didn't know I had. And has been a lesson on putting down books that I think have plenty of good information but find utterly boring.
This has been immensely negative, so I feel the need to say I don't think it's a bad book per-se - again, it covers its subject with respectable breadth - I just didn't get on with it.