Scan barcode
A review by ladybookamore
The System: Who Owns the Internet, and How It Owns Us by James Ball
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.