The Little Black Book of Social Media

£8.49

How much data does Facebook really have on me? What is a cookie on the Internet? Is my Amazon Alexa listening to me? Why can’t I seem to stop scrolling endlessly down my Instagram feed? Did social media really help cause an attempted coup in the United States?

How did we go from short, 140-character tweets to attempted coups in less than two decades? How much data does Facebook really have on me? Is my Amazon Alexa listening to me? The Little Black Book of Social Media demystifies these seemingly complex topics to help you understand how our very way of life is under threat and what you can do about it before it’s too late.

Powered by your personal data, social media has transformed our way of life, from how we get information, meet people and create increasingly siloed communities. This has had a profound impact on democratic society. Our shared reality – the way we collectively understand the world – has rapidly been replaced by conflicting micro-realities that are often fueled by conspiracy theories, lies and “fake news.” This has been driven by a business model that supposedly gives us everything for free. All we have to do is give up our personal data and privacy. If you aren’t paying for the product, then you are the product.

Praise for The Little Black Book of Social Media

“The issues with internet platforms are well known, but few of us understand the details. In The Little Black Book of Social Media, Kyle Taylor tells us what we need to know and what we can do about it. Everyone should read this book!”
— Roger McNamee, author of the New York Times best seller Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe

“A short & practical guide on the shocking truth of how our personal data is being used to undermine democracy”
— Carole Cadwalladr, Guardian & Observer Journalist, 2018 Orwell Prize Winner & 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist

“Fresh, engaging and absolutely essential reading for anyone wondering how we piece society back together”
— Katharina Gellein Viken, Director, People You May Know

“The Little Black Book of Data and Democracy is, at once, a uniquely accessible primer on how Big Tech functions, a sophisticated analysis of how surveillance capitalism is eroding our consensus reality, and a rousing call-to-action. Kyle Taylor has done a tremendous service by demystifying this existential threat to democracy and offering a roadmap for progress at both the personal and societal level.”
— Jesse Lehrich, Co-founder of Accountable Tech and former foreign policy spokesperson for Hillary Clinton

“Approachable and funny, yet deadly serious. It took us three years to make a film to explain the complex issues distilled so expertly in this little black book.”
— Jeff Orlowski, Director of The Social Dilemma

“I wish I had had this little black book by my side when I blew the whistle. I am excited for millions of people to finally have access to a conversation that has felt inaccessible for so long. Awareness & education about this new world is integral to creating systemic, structural changes for us to protect democracy and ensure the far right do not continue their tirade. Read it. Then gift it to your grandpa, your aunt, your cousin and (if you have them) your children.”
— Shahmir Sanni, Disinformation specialist and Vote Leave Whistleblower

“Do you want to be a product or a user? Next to teaching how broken our internet is, this book also empowers us with practical tools and actions to minimise our digital fingerprints. It gears us to resist online manipulation and build awareness in our societies. Get inspired”
— Mikko Salo, Founder of Faktabaari (FactBar), pioneering Finnish digital information literacy and fact-checking service.