Choosing “Shuffle Play” on Netflix and outsourcing an entertainment decision to an algorithm may not seem like a big deal, but I think there are second-order consequences that affect the self, society, and species – hugely driven by surveillance capitalism.
The books I really enjoy are the ones that capture and articulate a fundamental insight. This is one such. Tim Wu studies the history of information and communication empires, and illustrates a predictable path they follow – he calls it The Cycle. The biggest game changer we have seen in modern times is the internet, and the question he seeks to answer through this book is “which is mightier : the radicalism of the Internet or the inevitability of the Cycle?” An absolutely fascinating read.