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Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now

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  • Create Date：2021-07-17 09:54:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Jaron Lanier
  • ISBN：1250239087
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Summary

A timely call-to-arms from a Silicon Valley pioneer。

You might have trouble imagining life without your social media accounts， but virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier insists that we’re better off without them。 In Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now， Lanier， who participates in no social media， offers powerful and personal reasons for all of us to leave these dangerous online platforms。

Lanier’s reasons for freeing ourselves from social media’s poisonous grip include its tendency to bring out the worst in us， to make politics terrifying， to trick us with illusions of popularity and success， to twist our relationship with the truth， to disconnect us from other people even as we are more “connected” than ever， to rob us of our free will with relentless targeted ads。 How can we remain autonomous in a world where we are under continual surveillance and are constantly being prodded by algorithms run by some of the richest corporations in history that have no way of making money other than being paid to manipulate our behavior？ How could the benefits of social media possibly outweigh the catastrophic losses to our personal dignity， happiness， and freedom？ Lanier remains a tech optimist， so while demonstrating the evil that rules social media business models today， he also envisions a humanistic setting for social networking that can direct us toward a richer and fuller way of living and connecting with our world。

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Reviews

Jessica Bishop-Royse ，

This book was ok。 I would have liked a more empirical approach- Lanier's approach was much more conversational- which a lot of people like。 I don't。 But he makes some good points。 A lot of it is stuff we knew- but he pulled it all together into one book。 This book was ok。 I would have liked a more empirical approach- Lanier's approach was much more conversational- which a lot of people like。 I don't。 But he makes some good points。 A lot of it is stuff we knew- but he pulled it all together into one book。 。。。more

Sara ，

I loved both of Jaron Lanier’s previous books， but this one took an algorithm shake up to convince me to read it。 It explained so much about what was happening to me mentally， things I had attributed to my own weakness of character: a hollow feeling， even while or after being validated， a sense of alienation and low self-esteem I hadn’t experienced since junior high school， and an increasingly fragmented attention span。 Turns out it’s by design， which yes， is akin to saying that sandwiches are a I loved both of Jaron Lanier’s previous books， but this one took an algorithm shake up to convince me to read it。 It explained so much about what was happening to me mentally， things I had attributed to my own weakness of character: a hollow feeling， even while or after being validated， a sense of alienation and low self-esteem I hadn’t experienced since junior high school， and an increasingly fragmented attention span。 Turns out it’s by design， which yes， is akin to saying that sandwiches are amazing。 You can put cheese between two pieces of bread and have a foodstuff that is both practical and delicious。 That little algorithm shake up has turned out to be a boon， a warning to get out while I can。 I’m not deactivating so much as keeping that rabid dog in a permanent enclosure， but my mood has already lifted considerably。 Thank you， Mr。 Lanier。 。。。more

David Laing ，

I decided to read this book after reading Simon Dedeo’s reflections on it in his post， The 11th Reason to Delete your Social Media Account: the Algorithm will Find You。I found the book surprisingly persuasive。 I expected it to contain a bunch of common-sense arguments and references to unreplicated studies—the kind of thing you’d expect from， maybe， a journalist writing on this topic。 What I didn’t realize is that Jaron Lanier has been deeply immersed in the tech world for a long time and really I decided to read this book after reading Simon Dedeo’s reflections on it in his post， The 11th Reason to Delete your Social Media Account: the Algorithm will Find You。I found the book surprisingly persuasive。 I expected it to contain a bunch of common-sense arguments and references to unreplicated studies—the kind of thing you’d expect from， maybe， a journalist writing on this topic。 What I didn’t realize is that Jaron Lanier has been deeply immersed in the tech world for a long time and really knows what he’s talking about。 In this book， he argues mainly from philosophical and spiritual perspectives。 To get a sense of his stance， I recommend watching this 20-minute interview。 His interview with Ezra Klein is also good。I finished the book a few weeks ago and still haven’t deleted any of my social media accounts， but I’m considering it。 I haven’t really used Facebook or Instagram in a long time， so although I have accounts， I'm not too worried about them。 But at times over the past several years I’ve been a big-time Twitter addict。 I’m conflicted about Twitter。 On the one hand， it’s a great way to increase serendipity， both for personal relationships and for my career。 On the other hand， it’s hard to use in a way that feels healthy。 。。。more

Joyce Jarrard ，

I am rating this as two stars， because I did not understand this book。 I have had 6 years of college， and have used a computer for 35 years。 But， I did not understand some of the main， underlying points of this book。 I guess it assumed that I understand things about social media and Google algorithms that I do not understand， and I don't even know what I should be looking up to fill in my ignorance。 I felt like an 8-year-old sitting in on a Calculus class。 How humiliating。 I am rating this as two stars， because I did not understand this book。 I have had 6 years of college， and have used a computer for 35 years。 But， I did not understand some of the main， underlying points of this book。 I guess it assumed that I understand things about social media and Google algorithms that I do not understand， and I don't even know what I should be looking up to fill in my ignorance。 I felt like an 8-year-old sitting in on a Calculus class。 How humiliating。 。。。more

Sam Al ，

I found this books from "the social dilemma" documentary which is a great documentary exploring how social media companies operate to increase the addiction of their users。 This book on the other hand did not have a lot of valuable content。 In the whole 150 pages I highlighted 3 phrases in total。 Do not recommend。 I found this books from "the social dilemma" documentary which is a great documentary exploring how social media companies operate to increase the addiction of their users。 This book on the other hand did not have a lot of valuable content。 In the whole 150 pages I highlighted 3 phrases in total。 Do not recommend。 。。。more

Mia Gutkovas ，

I already deleted most of my social media accounts so maybe this book isn't really for me。 But of course I loved it！ I most appreciate the idea that it is the current business model - and not internet or social media in its own right - that is the problem。 Made me a bit guilty for still keeping my Google account though。 And。。。 hrm。。 Goodreads。 I already deleted most of my social media accounts so maybe this book isn't really for me。 But of course I loved it！ I most appreciate the idea that it is the current business model - and not internet or social media in its own right - that is the problem。 Made me a bit guilty for still keeping my Google account though。 And。。。 hrm。。 Goodreads。 。。。more

Elijah Zoarski ，

You know what’s a BUMMER？ Lanier’s failure to present both sides to the point he is trying to make。 Social media is here to stay， especially post-Covid， as many social interactions， work functions， and other parts of life are intertwined with social media。 I do wish this book was filled with less hyperbole， and supplemented with more tangible takeaways， outside rather than the all-or-nothing action of completely deleting one’s social media accounts。 For example; The author makes the argument tha You know what’s a BUMMER？ Lanier’s failure to present both sides to the point he is trying to make。 Social media is here to stay， especially post-Covid， as many social interactions， work functions， and other parts of life are intertwined with social media。 I do wish this book was filled with less hyperbole， and supplemented with more tangible takeaways， outside rather than the all-or-nothing action of completely deleting one’s social media accounts。 For example; The author makes the argument that society‘s becoming less empathetic due to echo chambers。 Should the platform be at fault here， or does it fall on the individual to look for both signs to a story？ If you were to delete your social media and find information elsewhere， you’re still going to run into biased opinions…Overall the book was not engaging， attempted to instill more fear using manipulative rhetoric， overall failing to mention the good these platforms bring to the general public。 These platforms are only about 15 years old， nearly at the infancy of development， so there are still many kinks to work out。 Many of the arguments put blame on the corporations， yet the federal government should be accountable here。 Our society places value on making money， these companies will continue to exploit consumers until laws are put into place in order to change this behavior。 From a gen-Z’s perspective， this world is more connected than ever。 Social media is such a strong tool uniting the world， helping us make leaps in innovation and social causes。 On one hand， we have never been so divided， yet， on the other hand， we have never been in a place where you can communicate globally。 Social media is here to stay， we need future leaders to help this implementation of laws， rather than saying f**k it， let’s just delete， and have someone else worry about this issue。 The book had no positive takeaways， attempting to leave the reader feeling frightened for the future。 What a BUMMER :/ 。。。more

lin ，

I liked this book。 No， I wanted to like this book so bad。 How can i read something so hopelessly biased against social media and in all its "evilness"？ Look， the arguments author makes are valid。 But I would appreciate it， if he could stop mocking， personal bias， his friends against it。 This almost feels like propaganda！ It would be awesome， really terrific， if the author could include both sides of argument， not just one？ I liked this book。 No， I wanted to like this book so bad。 How can i read something so hopelessly biased against social media and in all its "evilness"？ Look， the arguments author makes are valid。 But I would appreciate it， if he could stop mocking， personal bias， his friends against it。 This almost feels like propaganda！ It would be awesome， really terrific， if the author could include both sides of argument， not just one？ 。。。more

Hannah ，

I think this book has actually convinced me to delete at least one social media account。 But also helps me to understand the effects of these platforms which can be seen even when not engaging with them。 That is the scariest thing about the system and the thing that needs to change。

Yasan Parto ，

Super biased but somewhat personal take on social media by an ex-insider。Jaron completely shits on social media and silicon valley with no regards for the advantages that such industry boom has provided such as the ease in communication around the globe。 His personal bias towards the topic slowly eats away your interest in continuing with the novel。 Yet， he gives away some insider anecdotes and reveals some of the algorithms and day to day workings of such industry which are unbeknownst to the a Super biased but somewhat personal take on social media by an ex-insider。Jaron completely shits on social media and silicon valley with no regards for the advantages that such industry boom has provided such as the ease in communication around the globe。 His personal bias towards the topic slowly eats away your interest in continuing with the novel。 Yet， he gives away some insider anecdotes and reveals some of the algorithms and day to day workings of such industry which are unbeknownst to the average reader prior to the book。 Still， those are not enough to overcome the ever-so-present bias within every sentence of the book which keep you from sympathizing with the writer’s voice and keep you from finishing the book。Just like I couldn’t get past 40 pages。P。S。 I went into this book fully set on deleting all social media （I guess I was looking for a confirmation？）; so this book couldn’t serve me much but even then， the writing and the tone of the book could have been better put。 。。。more

Tricia ，

I was listening to this in audiobook format but it was just tooooo much。 I quit at about the 3rd argument。 Read Diane's review from 2018 for the full scoop - better use of your time。 The book pretty much reiterates everything I already know but in painstaking detail and repetition - odd for a short book？I limit Facebook to 10 minutes a day and that is mostly so I can check my local Buy Nothing group。 I limit Instagram to 15 minutes and that is so I can check some friends and other folks I follow I was listening to this in audiobook format but it was just tooooo much。 I quit at about the 3rd argument。 Read Diane's review from 2018 for the full scoop - better use of your time。 The book pretty much reiterates everything I already know but in painstaking detail and repetition - odd for a short book？I limit Facebook to 10 minutes a day and that is mostly so I can check my local Buy Nothing group。 I limit Instagram to 15 minutes and that is so I can check some friends and other folks I follow （I try to diversify my feed there so as a white hetero woman I try to check the stories of black and LGBTQ+ folk to get my feed to prioritize their accounts）。 I may just delete Twitter honestly because I never use it。I think the main point here is to be very mindful/intentional about your usage。 The sad part is that this approach only works for individuals and is counter productive for helping businesses that may be trying to establish a following。 Can't save em all！ Sometimes you have to put your own oxygen mask on first and protect your mental health。 。。。more

Lucy Bea ，

This was quite a hard book to read！ Very very interesting but I found that it may be somewhat inaccessible for some audiences。 I definitely agree with the premise but I think an extended addition which really spells out BUMMER and other tech terms would give people a better understanding of why they should delete social media。 This definitely put into words a lot of things that I have felt over the years and has encouraged me to make steps towards deleting my social media accounts！I would also j This was quite a hard book to read！ Very very interesting but I found that it may be somewhat inaccessible for some audiences。 I definitely agree with the premise but I think an extended addition which really spells out BUMMER and other tech terms would give people a better understanding of why they should delete social media。 This definitely put into words a lot of things that I have felt over the years and has encouraged me to make steps towards deleting my social media accounts！I would also just say that the book felt very dense even though it was short。 I think that this style of writing is a mix between academic and non fiction but it falls onto the academic side， hence the inaccessibility！ 。。。more

Sonja ，

A must read， even if you have no intention of deleting your social media and even if you’ve already deleted your social media。

Rue ，

This book got me deleting Instagram which I have been using for 6 years now and Oh boy it really highlights the dystopia attributed to the internet these days。 The behaviour-modification games， the customized feeds to make you polarized to a viewpoint， the inability to accept others differences，

Mahmoud Yasseen ，

Brilliant。

Rene Torres ，

Made me reconsider a huge amount of facts that we are “living” trough social media， I recommend it to you if you are sick of social media anda don’t know how to put it in words。

Iris ，

"Let’s start with cats。 Cats are everywhere online。 They make the memiest memes and the cutest videos。"For being such a short book， Ten Arguments for Deleting your Social Media Accounts Right Now sure as hell packs a punch。 I didn't know that so many words could be put into 146 pages， but here we are。Jaron Lanier has an interesting way of telling things。 The way he writes his thoughts and beliefs is quite fascinating to be honest。 He is funny and engaging。 But there were moments when reading "Let’s start with cats。 Cats are everywhere online。 They make the memiest memes and the cutest videos。"For being such a short book， Ten Arguments for Deleting your Social Media Accounts Right Now sure as hell packs a punch。 I didn't know that so many words could be put into 146 pages， but here we are。Jaron Lanier has an interesting way of telling things。 The way he writes his thoughts and beliefs is quite fascinating to be honest。 He is funny and engaging。 But there were moments when reading a chapter felt like reading half a book。A lot of his arguments come from his personal experience and that's not really an objective way of making a point of a topic you are very interested in。 It's like saying "I declare this thing bad because this experience happened to me， therefore my feelings are the one that are valid over anything else"。There are points where I agree， for instance when he says that social media can make a person unhappy。 Which is true， considering that most people measure their happiness over the amount of likes their selfie has on Instagram。That being said， social media can be a wonderful tool to communicating with others。 I'll never forget a recent post I retweeted。 A young woman was collecting money to help her mother who has cancer。 Her healthcare doesn't completely cover the costs of her medication， both of them don't make enough money to pay for it， so this girl took it to Twitter to ask for help。 In less than a day， she not only received money， but also legal advice， hygiene products， clothes， and was put in contact with people who worked for her mom's healthcare company that were going to help her aliviate the costs of the treatment。I say， give this book a try， because even though I'm not going to delete my SM， it was an interesting perspective to read about。 Not to mention， there several mentions of cats in this book ;） 。。。more

Sarah Shaheen ，

I'm sold。 I'm sold。 。。。more

Nicole ，

Read June 2021

Richard Gleeson ，

Insightful， informative and eye opening。 Written by a silicon valley computer scientist， Lanier divulges how social media platforms are designed to manipulate， control and process data in a way that prioritises profit-making objectives over the free will of the human condition and our dignity。 Whilst i won't be deleting my accounts after reading this book， it has given me an insight into how I could improve my information digest from news sites and other platforms as well as protecting my privac Insightful， informative and eye opening。 Written by a silicon valley computer scientist， Lanier divulges how social media platforms are designed to manipulate， control and process data in a way that prioritises profit-making objectives over the free will of the human condition and our dignity。 Whilst i won't be deleting my accounts after reading this book， it has given me an insight into how I could improve my information digest from news sites and other platforms as well as protecting my privacy。 。。。more

Thomas Matich ，

Jaron Lanier is one of my heroes。With empathy and clarity， he presents the reasons why social media is terrible is its current form。

Blaine ，

Just delete them。 Now。 Think of how good it will feel。 You will be healthier for it and the world and democracy will thank you。

Bäumchen ，

Ich finde einiges hier wirklich hilfreich， anderes finde ich falsch und manches absurd。 Absurd ist v。a。 die Vorstellung， wer nicht für Hillary gewählt hat， hat das deshalb getan， weil man von 'russian bots' beeinflusst wurde。Was ich eher hilfreich finde， ist wie das Zusammenspiel von Hochs und Tiefs， das Soziale Medien gefühlsmäßig auslösen， Teil des Grunds sind， weshalb wir ihnen gegenüber eine Art Abhängigkeit entwickeln。 Wenn man einen Tag wartet und keine Belohnungs-Likes bekommen hat， versu Ich finde einiges hier wirklich hilfreich， anderes finde ich falsch und manches absurd。 Absurd ist v。a。 die Vorstellung， wer nicht für Hillary gewählt hat， hat das deshalb getan， weil man von 'russian bots' beeinflusst wurde。Was ich eher hilfreich finde， ist wie das Zusammenspiel von Hochs und Tiefs， das Soziale Medien gefühlsmäßig auslösen， Teil des Grunds sind， weshalb wir ihnen gegenüber eine Art Abhängigkeit entwickeln。 Wenn man einen Tag wartet und keine Belohnungs-Likes bekommen hat， versucht man vielleicht noch eher， etwas Interessanteres zu schreiben statt wegzugehen。 Man 'bleibt hängen''。 Algorithmen steuern dem einen 'glitchy feedback' bei， der absolut random versucht， Leute zu einer response zu animieren - indem es sie zum Beispiel mit im Feed eingespielten posts traurig macht （weil dieser post bei ähnlich kategorisierten usern Ähnliches bewirkte）。 Es war nicht immer klar， welche Plattform da was anwendet - zB Facebook hat sich durchaus damit gerühmt， dass sie ihre user zuverlässig 'sad' machen können， indem sie ihnen zB Reaktionen ihrer Freunde vorenthalten， sie isolieren， etc。 Da hätte ich gerne Konkreteres gewusst， die Beispiele im Buch haben mich eher verwirrt。 Aber auf jeden Fall fand ich die Idee sehr intriguing， dass die Manipulation unserer Gefühle durchaus stattfindet und dass negative Reaktionen uns genauso süchtig machen wie die positiven - es ist dieses Auf uns Ab， was uns dazu bringt， es immer wieder zu versuchen。Was ich falsch finde， ist dass er darin die Grundlage einer 'Spaltung Amerikas' sieht und den Grund， dass Menschen so krass miteinander konkurrieren und sich gegenseitig vergleichen。 。。。more

Tori J ，

I found this book a bit disappointing， especially as someone who assumed going in that the author would be “preaching to the choir”。 I went in as someone who already uses social media minimally， and I 100% agree that social media has a large number of negative effects on us。HOWEVER， Lanier falters again and again in his arguments。 I found myself frustrated as he would slowly get me on board each chapter， and then after only a few pages fall into dramatic and unfounded statements about a wide var I found this book a bit disappointing， especially as someone who assumed going in that the author would be “preaching to the choir”。 I went in as someone who already uses social media minimally， and I 100% agree that social media has a large number of negative effects on us。HOWEVER， Lanier falters again and again in his arguments。 I found myself frustrated as he would slowly get me on board each chapter， and then after only a few pages fall into dramatic and unfounded statements about a wide variety of topics relating to social media。 He paints BUMMER out to be this moustache-twisting evil villain that wants to take over the world， and yet adds several caveats that “this might actually not be the fault of BUMMER， not really sure to be honest， but it could be？？？”。 I found the writing very unpersuasive and too hyperbolic at times， which just made me lose faith in the author’s intent even more。 （Like the argument that Hillary would have won the election if she had let Facebook help her like Trump did？？？？ I understand what he’s saying， but my faint memories of Psychology 101 are screaming “correlation does not imply causation！”） 。 His extreme logic and unorganized writing made for a read that I struggled to finish。 In conclusion: even after hearing his 10 arguments， I will not be deleting my social media accounts。 A more apt title for this book may have been “10 factors to be aware of when using social media”， as the author does a much better job raising interesting questions than providing persuasive answers。 。。。more

Omar Hallab ，

Honestly this is poorly written。 The book has a strong premise but its execution is poor。 The author presents strong arguments and evidence - and there’s an audience of readers absolutely ready to back him up and quit the socials！ But the poor and unnecessarily dense writing makes it hard to follow。 This book lacks cohesiveness / and sometimes it isn’t that coherent either。 Regardless， I am still a convert。 The cons of social media （at the moment） pretty much outweigh the pros for me。 Hence why Honestly this is poorly written。 The book has a strong premise but its execution is poor。 The author presents strong arguments and evidence - and there’s an audience of readers absolutely ready to back him up and quit the socials！ But the poor and unnecessarily dense writing makes it hard to follow。 This book lacks cohesiveness / and sometimes it isn’t that coherent either。 Regardless， I am still a convert。 The cons of social media （at the moment） pretty much outweigh the pros for me。 Hence why I really believe that it’s important to: 1。 establish boundaries with social media and 2。 tune off when we need to。 Do all the things （detoxing， digital decluttering， unfollowing， muting， deleting etc etc etc） that will make you feel better！ 。。。more

Izzy E ，

It's my usual complaint - too much time spent discussing the dire symptoms of capitalism as though those symptoms were the disease itself。 Why must we just accept that profit will always be the ultimate goal， and that in order to improve our situation we need to improve how we go about creating profit， rather than interrogating the foundations of that goal itself？ Also the pop psychology wolf thing which pervades the book is a bit silly， while the invented "BUMMER" acronym feels forced。 I found It's my usual complaint - too much time spent discussing the dire symptoms of capitalism as though those symptoms were the disease itself。 Why must we just accept that profit will always be the ultimate goal， and that in order to improve our situation we need to improve how we go about creating profit， rather than interrogating the foundations of that goal itself？ Also the pop psychology wolf thing which pervades the book is a bit silly， while the invented "BUMMER" acronym feels forced。 I found the discussion of AI in argument 10 interesting， it's a very quick read， and obviously I do agree with the general thesis， but I don't really feel like I learned much here。 。。。more

Mariana B ，

Re read this someday， maybe your not depressed， maybe social media is making you feel that way， stop your addiction with social media。

Ike ，

I already love Jaron。 I think it's important that I like the author's I read as people。 Shocker。 He has this whimsical， commanding， self realized quality that I already liked before reading this book。 But this was icing on the cake。 This book is intuitive， but not cliche。 Full of a wide range of carefully collected ideas in a short， sweet read。 He demonizes no one。 He's an insider outsider。 He's real。 This was good。 Really good。 #good。 Lanier used the metaphor of bots to social media as gut bact I already love Jaron。 I think it's important that I like the author's I read as people。 Shocker。 He has this whimsical， commanding， self realized quality that I already liked before reading this book。 But this was icing on the cake。 This book is intuitive， but not cliche。 Full of a wide range of carefully collected ideas in a short， sweet read。 He demonizes no one。 He's an insider outsider。 He's real。 This was good。 Really good。 #good。 Lanier used the metaphor of bots to social media as gut bacteria is to animals。 Hilariously broad thinking that's just a pleasure to read。 He sums up all the gutteral doubts I've had about social media and more。 A wise optimist。 Sometimes I give 5 stars because I believe it's a way to uplift the issue。 This was not an arbitrary five stars， this book rocked my world。 。。。more

Cheryl ，

An insightful read。 Lost my attention a few times， but I think the overall message was important。

Iman ，

It worked I deleted my social media; However， i think the writing style is poor & unsettling。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0