Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy
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- Create Date：2021-10-09 16:15:58
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Siva Vaidhyanathan
- ISBN：0190056541
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Summary
A fully updated paperback edition that includes coverage of the key developments of the past two years， including the political controversies that swirled around Facebook with increasing intensity in the Trump era。
If you wanted to build a machine that would distribute propaganda to millions of people， distract them from important issues， energize hatred and bigotry， erode social trust， undermine respectable journalism， foster doubts about science， and engage in massive surveillance all at once， you would make
something a lot like Facebook。 Of course， none of that was part of the plan。 In this fully updated paperback edition of Antisocial Media， including a new chapter on the increasing recognition of--and reaction against--Facebook's power in the last couple of years， Siva Vaidhyanathan explains how
Facebook devolved from an innocent social site hacked together by Harvard students into a force that， while it may make personal life just a little more pleasurable， makes democracy a lot more challenging。 It's an account of the hubris of good intentions， a missionary spirit， and an ideology that
sees computer code as the universal solvent for all human problems。 And it's an indictment of how social media has fostered the deterioration of democratic culture around the world， from facilitating Russian meddling in support of Trump's election to the exploitation of the platform by murderous
authoritarians in Burma and the Philippines。 Both authoritative and trenchant， Antisocial Media shows how Facebook's mission went so wrong。
If you wanted to build a machine that would distribute propaganda to millions of people， distract them from important issues， energize hatred and bigotry， erode social trust， undermine respectable journalism， foster doubts about science， and engage in massive surveillance all at once， you would make
something a lot like Facebook。 Of course， none of that was part of the plan。 In this fully updated paperback edition of Antisocial Media， including a new chapter on the increasing recognition of--and reaction against--Facebook's power in the last couple of years， Siva Vaidhyanathan explains how
Facebook devolved from an innocent social site hacked together by Harvard students into a force that， while it may make personal life just a little more pleasurable， makes democracy a lot more challenging。 It's an account of the hubris of good intentions， a missionary spirit， and an ideology that
sees computer code as the universal solvent for all human problems。 And it's an indictment of how social media has fostered the deterioration of democratic culture around the world， from facilitating Russian meddling in support of Trump's election to the exploitation of the platform by murderous
authoritarians in Burma and the Philippines。 Both authoritative and trenchant， Antisocial Media shows how Facebook's mission went so wrong。
Reviews
Stephanie Cassidy
，
DNF @ 16%I initially started this read as part of a school paper， but I just couldn’t finish it。 It was too much。 There isn’t much relevant content; it’s just being repeated over and over again。
Stephanie
，
Just because it’s POV aligns with my own doesn’t mean it’s not biased。 You can tell it’s biased because it’s raising alarms about every single thing Facebook does， from concerning and terrifying things like act as the propaganda machine for president Duterte （Philippines）， to benign or arguably positive things like the ALS Ice Bucket challenge。 It makes the same argument all those articles that annoyed me way back when made: people donating to ALS is great but what about other charities？ My rebu Just because it’s POV aligns with my own doesn’t mean it’s not biased。 You can tell it’s biased because it’s raising alarms about every single thing Facebook does， from concerning and terrifying things like act as the propaganda machine for president Duterte （Philippines）， to benign or arguably positive things like the ALS Ice Bucket challenge。 It makes the same argument all those articles that annoyed me way back when made: people donating to ALS is great but what about other charities？ My rebuttal is: no one who only donated to something because of a Facebook challenge is spending funds they were going to put towards any other charity。 I’ve bucket brought in funds that would have legit otherwise been gas， movie tickets， a new purse。 Anyway， this is definitely the harshest account on Facebook I’ve read and that’s slightly annoying because it detracts from credibility when you don’t examine both sides of something。 。。。more
Mateusz Romanowski
，
Przystępnie przybliżony fenomen Facebooka i jego destrukcyjnego （choć nie tylko） wpływu na społeczeństwo。 Bez demonizacji zagadnienia， za to z dużą ilością faktów i wiedzy o rozwoju Internetu i nowych technologii。
Deepak P
，
fantastic book on how social media affects democracy in particular and social norms， values and politics in general。 very enlightening。 the arguments have been very persuasively laid down。 lovely。
Christine
，
Not my favorite book on this topic。 It’s got a condescending vibe and is filled with opinion monologues masquerading as facts。 If you’re looking for a more thorough and less bias perspective on this important topic， I recommend reading “Digital Minimalism” by Cal New Port and the book “The Coddling of the American Mind”。
Mu-tien Chiou
，
This book has gotten way too much postive reviews here than it's deserved。 I got my hands on a copy of this book becaue I am comissioned to write a scholarly entry on social media。 This is not a bad book in itself but there are many better works out there that present the case stronger。 For books， you may want to check "Social Media: A Critical Introduction" （Marxist-based approach）， "Custodians of the Internet" （interviews-based approach）， and "The Hype Machine" （data-science-based approach）， e This book has gotten way too much postive reviews here than it's deserved。 I got my hands on a copy of this book becaue I am comissioned to write a scholarly entry on social media。 This is not a bad book in itself but there are many better works out there that present the case stronger。 For books， you may want to check "Social Media: A Critical Introduction" （Marxist-based approach）， "Custodians of the Internet" （interviews-based approach）， and "The Hype Machine" （data-science-based approach）， etc。 For how the particular platform Facebook manipulates its users， you get to read essays are aritcles from， say， the Atlantic and the Newsweek。 You get everything that's said in this book with much less eye labor。 。。。more
Anjar Priandoyo
，
I have read five books so far on how to stop social media， interesting。 I just can not find the argument that support the opposite。1。 Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy （Siva Vaidhyanathan 2018）2。 Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now （Jaron Lanier 2018）3。 Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World （Cal Newport 2019）4。 How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy （Jenny Odell 2019）5。 How to Break Up with Your P I have read five books so far on how to stop social media， interesting。 I just can not find the argument that support the opposite。1。 Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy （Siva Vaidhyanathan 2018）2。 Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now （Jaron Lanier 2018）3。 Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World （Cal Newport 2019）4。 How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy （Jenny Odell 2019）5。 How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life （Catherine Price 2018） 。。。more
Mel
，
While the take home message was a good one， the book was waaaay too long。 It could have been a lot more concise。
Capricious Trout
，
While there were some very interesting and gripping parts （my favourite were definitely the passages about India and The Philippines） the overall experience was quite tiring and unengaging。
Varsha
，
This is an important book。 I have been off social media （esp Facebook） for the last year and a half and it has made an instant positive impact in my life。 I wanted to read this book to figure out why and I found myself agreeing with a lot of what the author had to say。 I was particularly interested in the concept of the 'filter bubble' - "a term coined by author and entrepreneur Eli Pariser to describe the ways that Google and Facebook reward users with more of what they tell the companies they This is an important book。 I have been off social media （esp Facebook） for the last year and a half and it has made an instant positive impact in my life。 I wanted to read this book to figure out why and I found myself agreeing with a lot of what the author had to say。 I was particularly interested in the concept of the 'filter bubble' - "a term coined by author and entrepreneur Eli Pariser to describe the ways that Google and Facebook reward users with more of what they tell the companies they want， thus narrowing the field of vision and potentially creating echo chambers of reinforced belief。" I was a victim of such a filter bubble when the international events of 2016 completely blindsided me。 I was assured in my social media conversation bubbles that the murmurs of upsets in Brexit or US elections were just that- fantastical murmurs that would never come to pass。 I also realized that I did not know a single person who thought differently than me among my hundreds of 'friends'。 This conversation and introspection need to continue and for that， I am grateful for this book。 The book is divided into chapters based on the role that Facebook plays。 Hence we have chapter titles like The Pleasure Machine， The Surveillance Machine， The Attention Machine， The Benevolence Machine， The Protest Machine， The Politics Machine and The Disinformation machine and the concluding with The Nonsense Machine！ I have two points where I disagree with the author's framing: 1） In the Benevolence Machine chapter， talking about India， he makes a comment that Sandberg and Facebook were dealing with "a society they did not understand， and one in which many of its citizens do not mean each other well。 The ruling Bharatiya Janata party represents just those citizens。" For someone who is not an Indian citizen and has not grown up or lived in the milieu， making such a statement puts him on par with Sandberg and Facebook in his generalization that the citizens of India do not mean each other well！ There is a lot more to the rise of BJP than just Hindutva and it mirrors the scenes we see in the US today。 I wish he had been more considerate in his framing。 2） My other objection is his dismissal of TED talks。 Yes， they don't invite debate or deliberation and don't demand immersion or even background reading。 But the fact that they have made hitherto opaque subjects like neuroscience or heavy-duty academic research more accessible to more people who are interested is commendable。 Not everyone has the luxury/ interest of going in for a Ph。D。 or having the time to spend digging deep into a subject。 These 'capsules of knowledge' can be stimulating and fun。 We need to acknowledge that the way information or knowledge is gleaned has changed significantly and this is one of the changes。 Fav quotes: -- "What matters is that a loud voice disrupts the flow of discourse and that all further argument will be centered on the truth of the claim itself rather than on substantive engagement with facts。 power is all that matters when trust and truth crumble。" 。。。more
Myles
，
It didn’t occur to me in the early 1980’s when I was in business school doing an MBA that an intellectual battle was brewing between the profit maximizers and those who believed corporations owed a social responsibility to its stakeholders。The old orthodoxy， championed by Milton Friedman， said that corporations were their most helpful when they pursued profit to the exclusion of everything else。The new orthodoxy， developed by Edward Freeman， said that corporations had a social responsibility to It didn’t occur to me in the early 1980’s when I was in business school doing an MBA that an intellectual battle was brewing between the profit maximizers and those who believed corporations owed a social responsibility to its stakeholders。The old orthodoxy， championed by Milton Friedman， said that corporations were their most helpful when they pursued profit to the exclusion of everything else。The new orthodoxy， developed by Edward Freeman， said that corporations had a social responsibility to its stakeholders， a term I remember learning about that time in business school。Funny， I don’t recall any actual debate on the subject in the business school itself。 But of course business school is more like a technical college than an Athenian school on deep moral and ethical concerns。 Or at least it was then。It seems the social responsibility folks got a little carried away in the US， with some corporations taking sides on the abortion debate and refused to fund public healthcare that had any relation to medical abortion or family planning for that matter。That is how they interpreted their social responsibility。Today we have a new debate on the social responsibility of tech firms like facebook， Twitter， and YouTube toward free speech in the US and elsewhere。 The European Union now has strict regulations on managing the privacy of data collected by these firms and stiff fines for non-compliance。In “Antisocial Media” Siva Vaidhyanathan argues that argues that US regulators need to get on board quickly。 Since this book was published three years ago the chorus has only grown louder。And as with other areas when business gets involved in social responsibility — or social engineering as some call it — there will be plenty of controversy。When Twitter banned Donald Trump from the airwaves for ostensibly fomenting rebellion， Conservatives complained that Twitter had breached Donald Trump’s freedom of speech， notwithstanding the fact that the First Amendment of the US Constitution does not include protecting lunatics on social media。 It’s a wholly private affair。（You can tell that times have changed when getting banned from social media is a fate worse than impeachment。）In the US， one always has to take the Conservatives with a grain of salt。 They want the long hand of government out of the marketplace until it affects their sacred cows: free speech， abortion， etc。， etc。Which leads to ask the question: what exactly do Conservatives believe in？ No Federal Government？ States rights/government but not Federal Government？ Libertarian ideals a la Peter Thiel？ A “thought police”？Why would people so enamoured with dismembering government put so much money into manipulating it for their own ends？ And why wouldn’t the profit maximizers simply cede obvious public services to government that they really don’t want to manage themselves？The answer is pretty obvious: pouring money into the political system helps the profit maximizers protect their interests。 For them it’s just business。It’s no wonder that some on the left confuse “conservative” and “capitalist” with “hypocrites。” Conservatism is in a muddle。And for those us expecting business to show more social responsibility， be careful what you wish for。 。。。more
Michal Haman
，
Veľa vecí v tejto knihe je všeobecne známych， ale Antisocial Media pomôže upratať výčitky voči Facebooku。 Špeciálne som ocenil prirovnanie Facebooku a hracicích automatov - ako podobne pracujú s ľudskou psychikou a špecifickým tipom závislosti。 Stať o Cambridge Analytica mi vyjasnila túto kauzu a to， že skutočným problémom bol Facebook samotný， nie akási zázračná firma， ktorá vie zázračne analyzovať dáta a segmentovať。 Najdôležitejšia časť knihy pre mňa bola tá o podrývaní demokracií v juhovýcho Veľa vecí v tejto knihe je všeobecne známych， ale Antisocial Media pomôže upratať výčitky voči Facebooku。 Špeciálne som ocenil prirovnanie Facebooku a hracicích automatov - ako podobne pracujú s ľudskou psychikou a špecifickým tipom závislosti。 Stať o Cambridge Analytica mi vyjasnila túto kauzu a to， že skutočným problémom bol Facebook samotný， nie akási zázračná firma， ktorá vie zázračne analyzovať dáta a segmentovať。 Najdôležitejšia časť knihy pre mňa bola tá o podrývaní demokracií v juhovýchodnej Ázii cez koncept CSR projektu Free Basic。 Ako Facebook cez tento projekt nalomil demokracie v Indii， v Kambodži či na Filipínach。Miestami sa kapitoly čítali ľahko， miestami ťažšie。 Kniha je určite povinnou literatúrou pre politológov a ľudí， ktorý si chcú ujasniť krátku históriu Facebooku a jeho vplyvu na spoločnosť a demokraciu。 。。。more
Aparna Nanduri
，
Highly pragmatic explanation on how social media is tuning us to meet their goals。。 but could’ve been a better read if it was edited well！！
Alison
，
I felt tired going into this book， expecting another book urgently seeking to point out the many dangers of Facebook， and mobilising a movement against it。 And on one level， that is exactly what this book is。 But most importantly， Vaidhyanathan knows what the book is， and is utterly charming in his delivery。 He is under no illusions， he rapidly reassures the reader， that the book is going to do more than make us more aware - it won't change or stop the course of history， or derail one of the wor I felt tired going into this book， expecting another book urgently seeking to point out the many dangers of Facebook， and mobilising a movement against it。 And on one level， that is exactly what this book is。 But most importantly， Vaidhyanathan knows what the book is， and is utterly charming in his delivery。 He is under no illusions， he rapidly reassures the reader， that the book is going to do more than make us more aware - it won't change or stop the course of history， or derail one of the world's largest corporations。It was much more global in scope than I had been expecting （and， if I may be slightly snide， unusually so for an American academic）。 Vaidhyanathan looks at Facebook's intervention in countries where the compressed content makes it the easiest way to share information。 There is some good analysis of how Facebook exploits desires to define and get approval for a sense of identity - even one founded on hate。He points out the stupidity of early naive views that somehow the internet would be a paradise of unfiltered information leading to wisdom， that anathema of early campaigners to government regulation came from a solid evidence base but failed to consider the possibilities of power:"Every New Yorker reader loves remembering the courage of civil rights activists。 Every Foreign Affairs reader dreams of secular democracy in Iran。 Neither considered the possibility that Facebook could be used by Buddhist nationalists to spark genocide against a Muslim minority in Myanmar。 Neither considered that corrupt leaders such as Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan would deftly exploit Facebook and Instagram to promote propaganda and monitor citizens。 Neither considered that Facebook does much more than connect Friends: it manages and massages what passes through it。"There is little new here if you follow this stuff， but the book is engaging enough not to notice。 。。。more
Dustless Walnut
，
First ~25% was a somewhat played out rehash of articles about social media's addictive effects， but the last ~75% about it's actual effects on global events and progress was very interesting。 First ~25% was a somewhat played out rehash of articles about social media's addictive effects， but the last ~75% about it's actual effects on global events and progress was very interesting。 。。。more
Levente Koroes
，
I really enjoyed some of the arguments put forward in this book， however I found that it paid little attention to effects of social media onto the individual。
Danielle
，
Super interesting。 All about how facebook uses data to personalize a user's feed and how that has played into the outcomes of elections across the world。 Vaidhyanathan writes in a really engaging way too， definitely wasn't a dry read。 Read for LIS 601: Information: Contexts and Perspectives Super interesting。 All about how facebook uses data to personalize a user's feed and how that has played into the outcomes of elections across the world。 Vaidhyanathan writes in a really engaging way too， definitely wasn't a dry read。 Read for LIS 601: Information: Contexts and Perspectives 。。。more
Will
，
Interesting look at the role Facebook， and other social media， play in creating challenges to the democratic system
Michal
，
This book didn't make a great impression。 It is focused on an interesting area and has a few good points。 But I also have a few objections。I liked how it's structured， describing how FB influences different areas。 What I didn't like: repetitions。 I felt like each chapter I read had some thoughts from the previous ones。 Constantly pointing to the same arguments。 And even if it's the outcome of long academic work， sometimes I felt （especially when reading the last chapter） like I'm hearing a preac This book didn't make a great impression。 It is focused on an interesting area and has a few good points。 But I also have a few objections。I liked how it's structured， describing how FB influences different areas。 What I didn't like: repetitions。 I felt like each chapter I read had some thoughts from the previous ones。 Constantly pointing to the same arguments。 And even if it's the outcome of long academic work， sometimes I felt （especially when reading the last chapter） like I'm hearing a preach。 With an easy distinction between good and bad， and easy paths for judgments。Don't get me wrong: it is a valuable voice in the discussion about our privacy， society， or even politics。 But as the author wrote， only one of many which can lead to change， and for me just not thrilling enough。 。。。more
Josh Preuss
，
This dude is extremely narcissistic and writes in an agitated black and white manner， like a true partisan。 In addition， most of the book is filled with stories about himself， none of which are very interesting。 The book has a ton of interesting material。 However， I keep not being able to read it due to the anger， and the narcissism。 Good bits: reading about the history of "media ecology" was interesting。 Reading the notes at the end has been fruitful because Siva has for sure done his research。 This dude is extremely narcissistic and writes in an agitated black and white manner， like a true partisan。 In addition， most of the book is filled with stories about himself， none of which are very interesting。 The book has a ton of interesting material。 However， I keep not being able to read it due to the anger， and the narcissism。 Good bits: reading about the history of "media ecology" was interesting。 Reading the notes at the end has been fruitful because Siva has for sure done his research。 I can't help comparing it to the last book I read， "Don't even think about it" by George Marshall about the reasons we can't make movement on climate change。 It was *excellent*。 The difference was that George Marshall kept the politics to a chapter at the end， and spent the rest of the book delivering on well defined tidbits to build to his point in a rational， calm manner。 This actually let him talk to people who's views are different from his。 。。。more
V K
，
This was somehow difficult to read and felt disjointed
Daud Yusof
，
Brilliantly written。 A true reflection of our sad state of affairs and the grim future ahead。
Amelia
，
A genuinely interesting book for the section I read （the introduction and first 3 chapters）， but having not managed to finish it within 6 weeks， I'm returning it to the library and may come back to it later。I think its just not what my brain felt like reading right now。 A genuinely interesting book for the section I read （the introduction and first 3 chapters）， but having not managed to finish it within 6 weeks， I'm returning it to the library and may come back to it later。I think its just not what my brain felt like reading right now。 。。。more
mahesh
，
If you really want to understand the evils of Social media without a biased opinion， This book is definitely not an option for you。Though book starts with grandiose narrative to expose the evils of social media， due to prejudice ， hatred， and biased opinions in an author writing， the goal of the book gets sidetracked。 The author goes on blaming Trump， Modi， and Russia in his entire book rather than giving importance to the main theme of the book。 The author's writing style is like a half baked j If you really want to understand the evils of Social media without a biased opinion， This book is definitely not an option for you。Though book starts with grandiose narrative to expose the evils of social media， due to prejudice ， hatred， and biased opinions in an author writing， the goal of the book gets sidetracked。 The author goes on blaming Trump， Modi， and Russia in his entire book rather than giving importance to the main theme of the book。 The author's writing style is like a half baked journalist writing who think they are professional enough to offer an opinion on all subjects。 I suggest you read " Ten arguments for deleting your social media account" rather than wasting money and valuable time on this book。 。。。more
Dorota
，
Kiedyś to było GaduGadu， naszaklasa， był też Myspace （ktoś to pamięta？ działa， ale troszkę inaczej）， częściej włączałam Skype。 A potem przyszedł Facebook。 Założyłam konto jesienią 2007 roku… To był zupełnie inny czas i zupełnie inny Facebook。 Dostrzegam to szczególnie teraz， gdy Facebook przypomina mi wpisy z poprzednich lat。 A potem to wszystko się zmieniło。 Osoby prywatne/firmy/instytucje/stowarzyszenia/urzędy/prasa/sklepy itd… - （prawie） wszyscy dali sobie wmówić， że brak konta na Facebooku s Kiedyś to było GaduGadu， naszaklasa， był też Myspace （ktoś to pamięta？ działa， ale troszkę inaczej）， częściej włączałam Skype。 A potem przyszedł Facebook。 Założyłam konto jesienią 2007 roku… To był zupełnie inny czas i zupełnie inny Facebook。 Dostrzegam to szczególnie teraz， gdy Facebook przypomina mi wpisy z poprzednich lat。 A potem to wszystko się zmieniło。 Osoby prywatne/firmy/instytucje/stowarzyszenia/urzędy/prasa/sklepy itd… - （prawie） wszyscy dali sobie wmówić， że brak konta na Facebooku skazuje ich na niebyt。 Zrozumieli to także różnej maści kombinatorzy i oszuści。 NewsFeed przyjmie wszystko。Opublikowana w 2018 roku książka „Antisocial Media。 Jak Facebook oddala nas od siebie i zagraża demokracji” pokazuje niebezpieczne strony Facebooka。 Chodzi m。in。 o mnóstwo fałszywych wiadomości， które trudno odróżnić od rzetelnych treści （albo ktoś nad tym nie panuje， albo nie panuje celowo; od niedawna trochę to się zmienia）， i które mogą mieć wpływ np。 na wynik wyborów， i to， że Facebook zamiast otwierać nas na świat i świat przed nami， zawęża nam obraz świata do tego， co znamy， lubimy i popieramy （tzw。 bańka filtrująca）。Lektura trochę przygnębiająca， trochę podpowiadająca cyfrowe odtruwanie #digitaldetox 。 Bo przecież jest życie poza Facebookiem， prawda？ 。。。more
Melinda
，
Fascinating read。 Well researched and well written。 Presents a very interesting view。 Probably needs a re-read to absorb more content
Gabrielle Chavez
，
3 1/2 stars- overall a good book。 Very informative， interesting and easy to read。 I didn’t love his writing style though and thought the tone got a little bit too cynical at times。
Sarah
，
I bought this book because I'm interested in social media， however this book is exclusively about Facebook （I should have paid more attention to the subtitle）。 I think if you're interested in this topic already the book just tells you things that you already know。 Also it drags on too much。 I bought this book because I'm interested in social media， however this book is exclusively about Facebook （I should have paid more attention to the subtitle）。 I think if you're interested in this topic already the book just tells you things that you already know。 Also it drags on too much。 。。。more
Rob
，
I think I may have given this monograph a 5 star review if I hadn’t already read Yochai Benkler et al’s Networked Propaganda。 Still， it’s a compelling read in a Neal Postman bent
Scott Holstad
，