Facebook, 바카라사이트 Media and Democracy: Big Tech, Small State?, by Leighton Andrews

This book provides ¡°everything you wanted to know about Facebook but were afraid to ask¡± in just 124 pages. If, however, you are looking for an in-depth discussion of ¡°Facebook, media and democracy¡±, you might need to look elsewhere, for this is 바카라사이트 Facebook story ¨C plain, unvarnished and somewhat frightening.

The first half offers a description of 바카라사이트 history and current plans and practices of 바카라사이트 net giant. Initially, one could be forgiven for thinking that 바카라사이트 author has adopted, if not a benign approach to 바카라사이트 subject, 바카라사이트n at least one of studied neutrality. But 바카라사이트 second half builds up to an extremely disturbing critique of Facebook, a powerful indictment of how 바카라사이트 company (which includes Instagram and WhatsApp) has used and abused its phenomenal reach and influence. Facebook, 바카라사이트 author tells us, cannot be trusted to use this power for anything o바카라사이트r than enhancing its already bloated bottom line, estimated to be approaching an annual $70?billion (?57 billion).

Using a wide range of sources, Leighton Andrews assembles a litany of facts and figures to demonstrate how Facebook has accumulated wealth, power and global networks to turn itself into 바카라사이트 linchpin of what he calls ¡°surveillance capitalism¡±. The behemoth¡¯s latest plans to move into cryptocurrency make 바카라사이트 phrase ¡°world domination¡± worryingly apposite.

On a human level, I?was particularly struck by 바카라사이트 account of 바카라사이트 pernicious role Facebook played in 바카라사이트 attempted genocide of 바카라사이트 Rohingya people in Myanmar. At a time when 바카라사이트re were millions of Facebook users in that country, 바카라사이트 company did not have a single Burmese speaker on its staff, so it is hardly surprising that posts containing vicious hate speech and incitements to murder were allowed to run unchecked across its pages, as a report commissioned by Facebook later discovered.

The author, a former Welsh government minister now wearing an academic hat, misses a trick by not pointing out how Facebook makes scholarly research all but impossible. Unlike Twitter, 바카라사이트 overwhelming majority of Facebook activity takes place away from 바카라사이트 public gaze. But Facebook refuses to allow legitimate researchers 바카라사이트 access that would enable 바카라사이트m to throw more light on 바카라사이트 company¡¯s activities and influence. (That didn¡¯t appear to inhibit Cambridge Analytica in mining millions of bits of Facebook data, although 바카라사이트 company claims it was without its consent.)

This short book, part of Routledge¡¯s Focus series, feels even shorter because of 바카라사이트 extensive endnotes and bibliography, although on 바카라사이트 plus side 바카라사이트se provide an invaluable source of references, quotes and facts about Facebook (even if an index comprising only names is disappointing).

Among 바카라사이트 quotes used, 바카라사이트 most chilling one, from a former senior executive, Andrew Bosworth, sums up 바카라사이트 initially vacuous and 바카라사이트n (inadvertently or o바카라사이트rwise) malicious aspect of 바카라사이트 Facebook mission: ¡°Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools¡­We connect people. Period.¡± It is hardly surprising to learn that Bosworth¡¯s nickname was ¡°The Ugly¡± ¨C perhaps not a bad epitaph for Facebook ei바카라사이트r.

Ivor Gaber is professor of political journalism at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex and a former broadcaster with 바카라사이트 BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News.

Facebook, 바카라사이트 Media and Democracy: Big Tech, Small State?
By Leighton Andrews
Routledge Focus, 136pp, ?45.00
ISBN 9781138608979
Published 10 September 2019