Scan barcode
A review by blueberry31
The Circle by Dave Eggers
5.0
Mae Holland is a dumbass. And Mae Holland is a metaphore for all of us. She has multiple opportunities, plenty of time, loads of evidence and countless experiences that would allow her to put an end to the absolute nightmare that the Circle is gradually creating. And yet she doesn't. She is slowly brainwashed, she accepts, she gives everything away. Even worse: she gladly takes part in this spiral of self-destruction. She learns to make the uncomfortable feel like a habit, the unacceptable feel like a wonderful thing, the worse face of humanity feel like the best.
The Circle brilliantly explores the scary consequences of taking social media way too far and of blindly giving away all our data. Like all good dystopias it takes current behaviors and events, and takes them to the next level, amplifies them. In this case, what's creepy is that you barely have any amplification to do... these behaviors exist, and The Circle doesn't seem like an impossible company. In fact I'm pretty sure that the logical next step is the merge of all the big digital players, the creation of one single interface with one single identity.
Anyway, this book creeped me out, but also made me think. I think it's a must-read, simply for the awareness it raises about loss of privacy and freedom, about the consequences of extreme surveillance. Frankly there are so many topics this book explores in terms of ethics, hard to list them all here! I also love the end. I actually had thought from the first moment that they talked about "Completion" that this was what they meant... (not spoiling) so was really glad that they hinted to it on the last page!
Would REALLY recommend this book!
The Circle brilliantly explores the scary consequences of taking social media way too far and of blindly giving away all our data. Like all good dystopias it takes current behaviors and events, and takes them to the next level, amplifies them. In this case, what's creepy is that you barely have any amplification to do... these behaviors exist, and The Circle doesn't seem like an impossible company. In fact I'm pretty sure that the logical next step is the merge of all the big digital players, the creation of one single interface with one single identity.
Anyway, this book creeped me out, but also made me think. I think it's a must-read, simply for the awareness it raises about loss of privacy and freedom, about the consequences of extreme surveillance. Frankly there are so many topics this book explores in terms of ethics, hard to list them all here! I also love the end. I actually had thought from the first moment that they talked about "Completion" that this was what they meant... (not spoiling) so was really glad that they hinted to it on the last page!
Would REALLY recommend this book!