Indeed, the sub-title of the book, “ How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health – and How We Must Adapt” signals this desire to jolt people awake, though the book is not quite as terrifying as this statement might suggest. But perhaps the author intended to send a wakeup call to the billions of users too engrossed in their positive experiences on social media to care much about the underlying dangers. For people experiencing all this, the hype – the fake news, the loss of privacy, the selling of ads, the ever-changing trends – is largely subliminal. People communicate, form relationships, and share experiences old friends reconnect families come together collaborations are born. Real information, knowledge, and love also flow on social media. For most users of social media, the hype is only part of the experience. For all its accessibility, this is an insider’s book, written by someone who sees the nuts and bolts – and the underlying incentives – of the system. But the name is jarring for the same reason. Insightful in that it cuts through the clutter of various functions that can be ascribed to social media and identifies hype as its core function – or at least its core effect. The decision to use the term “hype machine” for the social media system enveloping the globe today is both insightful and somewhat jarring. The tone of the book is set by its title. Aral does not shy away from building a useful abstract framework in which to place all this, and to address the complex issues raised as a result. And, while a large proportion of the book simply communicates information on where things stand and how different social media platforms are shaping the lives of their users, Prof. Overall, the book is an easy read that informs and educates the reader without getting mired in technical jargon – no mean feat for a book about a technical field that is rife with jargon. The book is very well-organized, and the logical flow – both across and within chapters – is remarkably smooth. For anyone looking for a single, accessibly non-technical source of information and insight on these important issues, this book is essential reading. The book provides an excellent overview of where things stand with social media, its promise and its peril. This is what he sets out to do in his new book, The Hype Machine, published under the Currency Imprint of Random House this September, and with considerable success. Aral is the perfect person to look at how this phenomenon has changed the world and the human experience. As one of the world’s foremost experts on social media and its effects, Prof. The author is the David Austin Professor of Management and Professor of Information Technology and Marketing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Given where we find ourselves in this late November of 2020, it is hard to think of a book more relevant or timely than The Hype Machine by Sinan Aral.
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