Description

Social media is supposed to bring us together – but it is tearing us apart.

‘A blisteringly good, urgent, essential read’ Zadie Smith

The evidence suggests that social media is making us sadder, angrier, less empathetic, more fearful, more isolated and more tribal.

Jaron Lanier is the world-famous Silicon Valley scientist-pioneer who first alerted us to the dangers of social media. In this witty and urgent manifesto he explains why its toxic effects are at the heart of its design, and, in ten simple arguments, why liberating yourself from its hold will transform your life and the world for the better.

WITH A NEW AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHOR

‘Informed, heartfelt and often entertaining … a timely reminder that even if we can’t bring ourselves to leave social media altogether, we should always think critically about how it works’ Sunday Times

‘Indispensable. Everyone who wants to understand the digital world, its pitfalls and possibilities should read this book – now’ Matthew d’Ancona, author of Post-Truth

Publisher Review

One of the most optimistic books about the Internet I've ever read because it dares to hope for better ... A blisteringly good, urgent, essential read -- Zadie Smith In every chapter there is a principle so elegant, so neat, sometimes even so beautiful, that what is billed as straight polemic becomes something much more profound -- Zoe Williams * Guardian * Indispensable. Everyone who wants to understand the digital world, its pitfalls and possibilities should read this book - now -- Matthew d'Ancona, author of Post-Truth A witty and fiercely intelligent attack on the ethics and business model of big tech and a romping read to boot. Lanier is a modern day Luther, calling for a digital reformation and nailing his theses to the door -- Tom Hodgkinson, The Idler An eloquence that is hard to argue against ... Every time you log on, you are adding to a fire that is burning your house down -- Danny Fortson * Sunday Times *