Antisocial Media

This book explains how Facebook devolved from an innocent social site created by Harvard students into a force that makes personal life a little more pleasurable, but at the same time makes democracy a lot more challenging. It talks about the hubris of good intentions, a missionary spirit, and an ideology that sees computer code as the universal solvent for all human problems. It also addresses how "social media" has fostered the deterioration of democratic culture around the world, from facilitating Russian meddling in support of Donald Trump's election to the exploitation of the platform by murderous authoritarians in Burma and the Philippines. The book analyzes the increase of recognition and reaction against Facebook's power in the last couple of years. It reviews the growing public concern about the influence Facebook exerts over lives and politics around the world.