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A review by the_emas
I Hate the Internet by Jarett Kobek
3.0
This book certainly has it's moments of hilarity and incisive prose on the peculiar and at times outrageous world of San Francisco and the tech industry. Interspersed between those moments is the same whiny bitching you've heard from the self-proclaimed cool kids on whatever social media platforms you use. Kobek's choice to define common words for the reader through the prism of a pseudo-intellectual social activist is one example of a device that is at first hilarious, and then overused, and by the end grating.
The main tenet of the book is that for all the discussion of social justice through twitter revolutions or democracy of information through wikipedia, the only thing that is really accomplished on the internet is increased profit margins for Google, Twitter, etc. Instead of creating opportunity, the internet only enables an easier path for large companies to exploit content creators. Thus, as the creator of Mickey Mouse saw little profit from his drawings after selling the rights to Disney, those who tweet and blog see little while Google ads generate sizable profits. When the characters discuss these ideas with one another the conversations can be funny and endearing, but the main character's monologue form rants are tiring and over-the-top.
The main tenet of the book is that for all the discussion of social justice through twitter revolutions or democracy of information through wikipedia, the only thing that is really accomplished on the internet is increased profit margins for Google, Twitter, etc. Instead of creating opportunity, the internet only enables an easier path for large companies to exploit content creators. Thus, as the creator of Mickey Mouse saw little profit from his drawings after selling the rights to Disney, those who tweet and blog see little while Google ads generate sizable profits. When the characters discuss these ideas with one another the conversations can be funny and endearing, but the main character's monologue form rants are tiring and over-the-top.