Thoughts on Antisocial Media. How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy by Siva Vaidhyanathan

Abstract

Research interests in this area have revolved around illuminating the dark side of social networking sites (especially Facebook and Twitter). And the light thrown has at times been quite harsh. Here are a few examples of how Facebook has been being portrayed since 2016: “the biggest threat to our democracy”, as Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser1 says; “a digital gangster destroying democracy” (Cadwalladr, 2019); a tool which is “rotting democracy from within” (DemDigest, 2019); a “machine” which “disconnects us and undermines democracy”. The latter are Siva Vaidhyanathan’s words, and they make for a telling introduction to the analysis he develops in his 2018 book Antisocial Media. How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.