Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation

400 pages

English language

Published Dec. 21, 2019

ISBN:
978-0-525-52226-3
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5 stars (2 reviews)

1 edition

Review of 'Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Very enjoyable read. My one qualm is that I wish there was some kind of conclusion chapter that gave a deeper analysis of the stories he shares in the book. The book almost functions as an ethnography, where each chapter is about a different person. I would have been interested in reading something where the author reflects on the experiences and maybe puts some theoretical historical analysis on it.

The chapter I enjoyed reading the most was "the emptiness." The glossary at the end is really helpful too.

Review of 'Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Never in my life was I so happy to reach the end of a book. Normally, if I'm unhappy with a book, I just stop reading, but I found the information in Antisocial so important that I wouldn't let myself stop. I am happy that I reached the end because the last two chapters tell the stories of the mitigation measures social networks are putting into place to stop the spread of hate. The anti-gatekeepers have realized the importance of gate-keeping.

While many (most?) of the actors attempting to influence and change the national conversation through social media have ties to various white supremacist ideologies, many (most?) don't. The most disturbing aspect is that they are literally changing the way American's think about race, politics, and the Constitution for the rush they get from counting clicks, from saying, "I made that meme!"

There are many disturbing stories of false narratives …