Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection - Jacob Silverman.epub

A brilliant young literary and cultural critic joins the ranks of such stellar commentators as Evgeny Morozov and Nicholas Carr with this incisive commentary on social media culture and its impact on how we view ourselves, each other, and our world—an ambitious, perceptive, and illuminating manifesto that exposes the costs of our online connections.

Social networking is a staple of modern life, but its continued evolution is becoming increasingly detrimental to our lives. Shifts in communication, identity, and privacy are affecting us more than we realize or understand. Terms of Service crystalizes the current moment in technology and contemplates what is to come: the identity-validating pleasures and perils of online visibility; our newly adopted view of daily life through the lens of what's share-worthy; and the surveillance state operated by social media platforms—Facebook, Google, Twitter, and more—to mine our personal data for advertising revenue: an invasion of our lives that is as pervasive as government spying.

Jacob Silverman calls for social media users to take back ownership of their digital lives from the Silicon Valley corporations who claim to know what's best for them. Integrating politics, sociology, national security, pop culture, and technology, he explores the surprising conformity at the heart of Internet culture, explaining how social media companies engineer their products to encourage shallow engagement and discourage dissent, and reflects on the implications of the collapsed barriers between our private and public lives.

Illuminating the new era of social media as never before, Silverman brings into focus the inner conflict we feel when deciding what to share and what to "like," and explains how we can take the steps we need to free ourselves.

Critical Praise

“When I started reading Jacob Silverman’s Terms of Service I wanted to tweet all about this brilliant new book. By the time I finished, I couldn’t tweet for the rest of the day. Silverman will redefine how you look at social media.” —Gary Shteyngart
“Many tech books are either naively optimistic or full of nostalgic gloom. Jacob Silverman’s critique of our technologically-mediated world is pitch-perfect -- relentlessly principled, insightful, and readable.” —Astra Taylor

“A deep and disquieting plunge into digital culture. . . . Relentlessly skeptical, Silverman captures beautifully the surreal aspects of the social media experience. . . . Intelligent, provocative and illuminating.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“An absorbing look at the conflict between privacy and social media.” —Booklist
“As social media platforms and other technologies diffuse into our everyday lives, Silverman acts as a much-needed digital skeptic. . . . Silverman proves himself an astute cultural critic as he addresses the complexity of the current moment in technology.” —Publishers Weekly

“Essential. . . . Though there are myriad other books on this topic, Silverman astutely points out that this is a conversation that needs to be had more than once. A serious consideration of the issues for people on both sides of the argument.” —Library Journal

“In this intelligent exploration of social media and its impact on our lives, Jacob Silverman raises questions both insightful and alarming.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“Provocative and troubling.” —Flavorwire

“Silverman writes in the shadow of Christopher Lasch’s Culture of Narcissism, Susan Sontag’s On Photography, and John Berger’s Ways of Seeing: his work, like theirs, squints into the bright fascinations of our time. . . . Profound, pragmatic and compassionate.” —The Christian Science Monitor