A review by dorothy_gale
Lurking: How a Person Became a User by Joanne McNeil

4.0

3.75★ GOOD CONTENT, BUT HARD-TO-FOLLOW FORMAT. This 2020 book covered some intriguing evolution of the internet -- searches, social media, advertising, reverse-engineering algorithms, how definitions have changed (including "friends"), and more. However, the format felt like each chapter was a long essay with no real organization, which for me made it difficult to recall the main points. It almost felt like I got to lurk the Lurk book -- observe industry tidbits, hindsight, and marketing strategies, decades later. It was nostalgic. The author seemed to come from my generation and shared similar views toward Google and Facebook. It included systemic race and gender issues, which was good. The ending didn't exactly elicit hope, but modern tech is a monstrosity that may not lend itself to hopeful discussions at this juncture.