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A review by rdrift_reads
Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture by Kyle Chayka
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I ran quite quickly through this. Because I work in tech consulting, there wasn't a ton that was super surprising. But Chayka's got a way of explaining the more complicated technical workings very simply, and the interviews and anecdotes he weaves in grounds and humanizes the stakes.
The final chapter insisting on our individual responsibilities is probably the book's weakest point. It feels a little too American and antithetical to the book's message that our technology/media shapes us. It feels like he actually believes in policy solutions but that alone felt too bleak. I do appreciate his desire to give users back their agency though.
In sum, a very work-relevant, life-relevant topic, written well about.
The final chapter insisting on our individual responsibilities is probably the book's weakest point. It feels a little too American and antithetical to the book's message that our technology/media shapes us. It feels like he actually believes in policy solutions but that alone felt too bleak. I do appreciate his desire to give users back their agency though.
In sum, a very work-relevant, life-relevant topic, written well about.