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The Power of One: Blowing the Whistle on Facebook
**Available for Whistleblower Frances Haugen's searing exposé of the internal workings of Facebook revealing the company's struggles to regain control over its platform and to stop the spread of misinformation**
__________
In the spring of 2021, when news outlets feasted on "the Facebook Files," Frances Haugen went public as the former employee who blew the whistle on the company by copying tens of thousands of documents. She testified to Congress and spoke to the media. She was hailed at President Biden's first State of the Union Address. She made sure everyone understood exactly what the documents Facebook not only set its algorithm to reward extremism, it knew that its customers were using the platform to foment violence, to spread falsehoods, to diminish the self-esteem of young people, and more. But how was it that Frances was the only employee at the company who dared to step forward?
The answer to that question is an inspiring tale of one young woman's life and the choices she made. From an isolated childhood in Iowa to an unaccredited college, to one among the few women at Google in its heyday, Frances Haugen learned how to focus on what mattered, and to ignore her critics. To harness the strength of standing in the truth.
The Power of One is equally inspiring - the story of a woman who went against the grain, again and again, and changed the world - and horrifying, as the culture and practices of Facebook are brought into the bright light of day, for the first time.
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__________
In the spring of 2021, when news outlets feasted on "the Facebook Files," Frances Haugen went public as the former employee who blew the whistle on the company by copying tens of thousands of documents. She testified to Congress and spoke to the media. She was hailed at President Biden's first State of the Union Address. She made sure everyone understood exactly what the documents Facebook not only set its algorithm to reward extremism, it knew that its customers were using the platform to foment violence, to spread falsehoods, to diminish the self-esteem of young people, and more. But how was it that Frances was the only employee at the company who dared to step forward?
The answer to that question is an inspiring tale of one young woman's life and the choices she made. From an isolated childhood in Iowa to an unaccredited college, to one among the few women at Google in its heyday, Frances Haugen learned how to focus on what mattered, and to ignore her critics. To harness the strength of standing in the truth.
The Power of One is equally inspiring - the story of a woman who went against the grain, again and again, and changed the world - and horrifying, as the culture and practices of Facebook are brought into the bright light of day, for the first time.
__________
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2023
83 people are currently reading
945 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
August 13, 2023
Overly long, but a cautionary tale of what happens when algorithms are trained towards optimizing one parameter (clicks and user engament) at the expense of truth. How limited the knowledge is of how social networks work and how they can be leveraged to foment hate or drive people to believe in the most outrageous of conspiracy theories.
July 7, 2023
I could not decide whether to give this book three stars or four stars. At times, it was very riveting. I thought all of the leadup to her being the Facebook whistleblower was pretty interesting. But there were times when Frances could not divulge information because of contracts she had drawn up with her lawyers. Also, at times, the book moved very slowly for me, particularly the first and last 15-20 pages. The stories she told about her life, and in particular her struggle with neuropathy, were interesting. The title of her book was also perplexing to a certain extent, as several times she talked about how she could not have accomplished as much if not for the help of other individuals. 'The Power Of One' could have been worded differently. I will say that what she said about Facebook's impact on other countries, particularly the violence and instability that was fomented in Myanmar, was incredibly eye-opening, even chilling. Reading her book made me go back and watch her 60 Minutes Interview, and I might re-watch her Congressional testimony as well. The book seems particularly relevant right now with Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram having just launched Threads, which is considered a rival to Twitter. I almost gave this book three stars rather than four, because at times, it can be a bit of a slog. I don't have a tech background so there were pages I had to re-read a few times. But it is still a very informative and educational book, so I bump this up to four stars. I wrote this review at 3:34 pm PST on Friday, July 7, 2023, but I might provide more updates to this review as my mind recalls certain parts of the book, or as other current events in the world re-shape my view of the book.
July 7, 2023
wow, what a great book, so much more than I expected.
What a interesting life the author has led.
Thank you for sharing.
I don't use Facebook, I don't use Twitter and limit my use of YouTube.
What a interesting life the author has led.
Thank you for sharing.
I don't use Facebook, I don't use Twitter and limit my use of YouTube.
Read
February 2, 2023excited to work on this one 😇
July 2, 2023
One Must Realize Their Limits to Realize Their Full Power
Although being a news junkie with a long-standing disdain for many of Facebook's business practices, I initially paid little attention to Frances Haugen's bombshell whistle-blowing revelations regarding Facebook and the harm it was knowingly doing to society. Initially, I thought she was likely just another progressive-leaning millennial who had come out to try to get Congress to pass laws to compel Facebook to do more censoring.
Unexpectedly upon reading her book, to know the details, there was a pleasant surprise: Haugen argues strongly against censorship and in a credible manner. In particular, she avoids the trap of equating any disagreement with hate speech: a reality sadly so prevalent these days that even public figures like Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson have to fear censorship as a consequence of particularly loose notions of “hate speech.”
Haugen's Life Before Facebook
After briefly mentioning her Congressional hearing early on, the book then proceeds chronologically. It discusses her early life, including studies, and career experiences, which she feels were instrumental in shaping her decision to later blow the whistle on Facebook. She also discusses how her background gave her a big-picture view of the tech industry. This takes up about 45% of the book, and a theme emerges that she had a set of experiences that ideally prepared her to be a whistle-blower. Indeed, as a reader, I felt she developed a sense of destiny that this was what she was meant to do and that it would be the defining moment of her life.
The Book's Strengths
Haugen's case that her education and experiences set her up almost ideally to be a whistle-blower is solid. She clearly thought deeply about what she learned at Harvard Business School (HBS), for example, why, historically, accounting standards emerged. She argues that these standards emerged because otherwise, the temptation for companies to avoid reality via accounting tricks was too strong, with the avoidance manifesting at a malicious level in deliberately misleading investors while also leading businesses to believe their own lies. They would think things were going great and that they had the metrics to prove it!
Haugen’s background from HBS, combined with being naturally introspective, also helps with other keen observations about the organizational weaknesses of Facebook that led to their problems. For example, Haugen observes that in her own life, she tended to try and do everything by herself, not realizing when she needed help from others. She finds a similar dynamic at play with Facebook: They were in over their heads dealing with the harmful effects of the platform, but their metrics-based culture prevented them from seeing this.
Another of the book's strengths is the author's ability to tie highly relatable stories to her decision to become a whistle-blower. One anecdote ties getting a flat in Wyoming to learning that people need to help and trust others. In particular, she had to trust those helping her even though they suggested something contrary to what she initially thought, and their advice carried risks.
Once the book gets going, it goes into high gear and becomes a page-turner. Haugen relates her "Escape From San Franciso" at the beginning of Covid, where she makes it out, with just 1.5 hours to spare, before the roads close. Later there is a beautiful juxtaposition. A now supremely confident Haugen works with Jeff Horwitz of the WSJ in a Caribean paradise, preparing to drop their bombshell. This contrasts with her prior life in cold, dreary, locked-down San Francisco, all while her prior team, the civic misinformation team, is scattered into irrelevance at Facebook.
The final strength of the book worth mentioning is the ultimate analysis. Here Haugen ties everything together in arguing for greater transparency using, for example, a compelling historical comparison with Ralph Nader's campaign for automobile safety. Haugen wisely, despite the book being titled The Power of One, avoids the misstep of feeling she has to provide all the solutions. At the same time, she presents enough examples to show that solutions which avoid censorship are possible.
The Book's Weaknesses
Although a very well-written book overall on a crucial topic, the book did have some weaknesses:
The main weakness is that book only gets into high gear once a little under halfway through. Before that, Haugen tries to cover too many of her early experiences. Additionally, recounting how she thought she had experiences that very few others did makes it hard to avoid the implication that she feels she is The Ultimate Whistle-Blower. The net effect is that she starts off seeming somewhat unrelatable.
In contrast, Edward Snowden in Permanent Record better establishes, early on, that he is relatable. Hence, with Snowden, the reader may have a stronger feeling that they, too, could rise to face a mighty dragon after finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances. With Haugen, at least early on, I suspect the reader will be left with more doubts: e.g., I don't have a background in debate, presentation, or document categorization; can I still rise to the occasion?
Despite the initial distance, Haugen becomes much more relatable as the book progresses, and she relates her medical and other challenges. She also increasingly describes how much others helped her.
Despite overall openness about her experiences, there is one significant exception:
In the book, she omits the story of how she rose from her lowest point when she felt she had lost all sense of agency in her life. She claims she omits this to keep the book a reasonable length. However, this is hard to believe since plenty of editing could be done before the story really gets moving. This is neither a long nor a short book: coming in at about 16 hours of audio listening time. If the story is compelling, increasing it by an hour, two, or even three is unlikely to cause anyone to pass since anyone considering this book surely already anticipates a serious, as opposed to breezy, read.
As a final weakness, although the book's logic is generally sound, there were some non-sequiturs. For example, Haugen seems to delight in the 75% drop in Facebook's stock price, which began the day her revelations hit the WSJ. Although she does not say it directly, from her other comments, she likely feels that Facebook's management was in a state where only a precipitous drop in stock price would make them listen. Although Haugen's revelations undoubtedly contributed to the plunge in stock price, she fails to mention that many other factors were involved, such as a general market decline and news about how much money the Metaverse division was burning through.
Summary
Although The Power of One takes a little while to gain momentum and perhaps omits a critical personal experience, once things get going, it is, without a doubt, a 5-star book. The story then becomes fast-paced with great suspense and juxtaposition, as Frances becomes more and more relatable as the story progresses. Most importantly, the author's ultimate analysis of Facebook's problems and the road to solutions is compelling.
Despite its title, The Power of One, a key, almost paradoxical theme is that to gain one’s full power, one must realize when they are in over their head. This blends in nicely with the subtheme of becoming true to oneself.
Ultimately, this is an excellent book for anyone who uses social media or is interested in its impact on society. On an even deeper level, given that Facebook's failures can ultimately be seen as early failures with AI, the implications go well beyond just social media.
“We are entering an era in which employees understand they're disposable, while also understanding that the systems they work on, the systems that fuel our economy, are more opaque to those outside the corporate walls than they were in the past. The next generation of employees understands in a very different way than preceding generations that if they don't act to share information with the public about black-box systems that run on chips and data centers, the public won't get the information it needs to provide oversight to tech companies, with potentially deadly consequences. The future is likely to bring many more Frances Haugens."
- from the final chapter
Although being a news junkie with a long-standing disdain for many of Facebook's business practices, I initially paid little attention to Frances Haugen's bombshell whistle-blowing revelations regarding Facebook and the harm it was knowingly doing to society. Initially, I thought she was likely just another progressive-leaning millennial who had come out to try to get Congress to pass laws to compel Facebook to do more censoring.
Unexpectedly upon reading her book, to know the details, there was a pleasant surprise: Haugen argues strongly against censorship and in a credible manner. In particular, she avoids the trap of equating any disagreement with hate speech: a reality sadly so prevalent these days that even public figures like Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson have to fear censorship as a consequence of particularly loose notions of “hate speech.”
Haugen's Life Before Facebook
After briefly mentioning her Congressional hearing early on, the book then proceeds chronologically. It discusses her early life, including studies, and career experiences, which she feels were instrumental in shaping her decision to later blow the whistle on Facebook. She also discusses how her background gave her a big-picture view of the tech industry. This takes up about 45% of the book, and a theme emerges that she had a set of experiences that ideally prepared her to be a whistle-blower. Indeed, as a reader, I felt she developed a sense of destiny that this was what she was meant to do and that it would be the defining moment of her life.
The Book's Strengths
Haugen's case that her education and experiences set her up almost ideally to be a whistle-blower is solid. She clearly thought deeply about what she learned at Harvard Business School (HBS), for example, why, historically, accounting standards emerged. She argues that these standards emerged because otherwise, the temptation for companies to avoid reality via accounting tricks was too strong, with the avoidance manifesting at a malicious level in deliberately misleading investors while also leading businesses to believe their own lies. They would think things were going great and that they had the metrics to prove it!
Haugen’s background from HBS, combined with being naturally introspective, also helps with other keen observations about the organizational weaknesses of Facebook that led to their problems. For example, Haugen observes that in her own life, she tended to try and do everything by herself, not realizing when she needed help from others. She finds a similar dynamic at play with Facebook: They were in over their heads dealing with the harmful effects of the platform, but their metrics-based culture prevented them from seeing this.
Another of the book's strengths is the author's ability to tie highly relatable stories to her decision to become a whistle-blower. One anecdote ties getting a flat in Wyoming to learning that people need to help and trust others. In particular, she had to trust those helping her even though they suggested something contrary to what she initially thought, and their advice carried risks.
Once the book gets going, it goes into high gear and becomes a page-turner. Haugen relates her "Escape From San Franciso" at the beginning of Covid, where she makes it out, with just 1.5 hours to spare, before the roads close. Later there is a beautiful juxtaposition. A now supremely confident Haugen works with Jeff Horwitz of the WSJ in a Caribean paradise, preparing to drop their bombshell. This contrasts with her prior life in cold, dreary, locked-down San Francisco, all while her prior team, the civic misinformation team, is scattered into irrelevance at Facebook.
The final strength of the book worth mentioning is the ultimate analysis. Here Haugen ties everything together in arguing for greater transparency using, for example, a compelling historical comparison with Ralph Nader's campaign for automobile safety. Haugen wisely, despite the book being titled The Power of One, avoids the misstep of feeling she has to provide all the solutions. At the same time, she presents enough examples to show that solutions which avoid censorship are possible.
The Book's Weaknesses
Although a very well-written book overall on a crucial topic, the book did have some weaknesses:
The main weakness is that book only gets into high gear once a little under halfway through. Before that, Haugen tries to cover too many of her early experiences. Additionally, recounting how she thought she had experiences that very few others did makes it hard to avoid the implication that she feels she is The Ultimate Whistle-Blower. The net effect is that she starts off seeming somewhat unrelatable.
In contrast, Edward Snowden in Permanent Record better establishes, early on, that he is relatable. Hence, with Snowden, the reader may have a stronger feeling that they, too, could rise to face a mighty dragon after finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances. With Haugen, at least early on, I suspect the reader will be left with more doubts: e.g., I don't have a background in debate, presentation, or document categorization; can I still rise to the occasion?
Despite the initial distance, Haugen becomes much more relatable as the book progresses, and she relates her medical and other challenges. She also increasingly describes how much others helped her.
Despite overall openness about her experiences, there is one significant exception:
In the book, she omits the story of how she rose from her lowest point when she felt she had lost all sense of agency in her life. She claims she omits this to keep the book a reasonable length. However, this is hard to believe since plenty of editing could be done before the story really gets moving. This is neither a long nor a short book: coming in at about 16 hours of audio listening time. If the story is compelling, increasing it by an hour, two, or even three is unlikely to cause anyone to pass since anyone considering this book surely already anticipates a serious, as opposed to breezy, read.
As a final weakness, although the book's logic is generally sound, there were some non-sequiturs. For example, Haugen seems to delight in the 75% drop in Facebook's stock price, which began the day her revelations hit the WSJ. Although she does not say it directly, from her other comments, she likely feels that Facebook's management was in a state where only a precipitous drop in stock price would make them listen. Although Haugen's revelations undoubtedly contributed to the plunge in stock price, she fails to mention that many other factors were involved, such as a general market decline and news about how much money the Metaverse division was burning through.
Summary
Although The Power of One takes a little while to gain momentum and perhaps omits a critical personal experience, once things get going, it is, without a doubt, a 5-star book. The story then becomes fast-paced with great suspense and juxtaposition, as Frances becomes more and more relatable as the story progresses. Most importantly, the author's ultimate analysis of Facebook's problems and the road to solutions is compelling.
Despite its title, The Power of One, a key, almost paradoxical theme is that to gain one’s full power, one must realize when they are in over their head. This blends in nicely with the subtheme of becoming true to oneself.
Ultimately, this is an excellent book for anyone who uses social media or is interested in its impact on society. On an even deeper level, given that Facebook's failures can ultimately be seen as early failures with AI, the implications go well beyond just social media.
October 30, 2023
When I started to read this book I did know that I needed to read this book. Like many others in this world I live at least partly, a Social Media existence. I surf the web and scroll down here and scroll down there, like articles and do my share of point and clicking. Until I read this book, I was blissfully ignorant of the inner workings of Social Media. I just assumed that somebody was watching the store and was looking out for my best interests. Ms. Haugen clearly points out that that might not be the case. This book is an eye-opening examination of the web as we know it and more importantly, the web as we should know it. Written from the perspective of an insider it is an up close and personal illustration to what is exactly going on behind the scenes. It is a first rate book and leaves the reader longing to read anything else written by Ms. Haugen. A truly spellbinding read!
March 1, 2024
An eye opening book! Highly recommend!
March 17, 2024
The author blew the whistle on Facebook/Meta back in 2021. What made her revelations so important was the volume of hard data that she was able to retrieve before she left Facebook.
This is remarkable inside look at what goes into the algorithms social media companies use to increase clicks. shares, comments, etc. She started her big tech career at Google then a couple other social media companies before ending up at Facebook.
Most of her complaints were share in a series of Wall Street Journal articles, along with a 60 Minutes interview and then multiple talk shows.
The author reads the audiobook so that adds a personal touch to the experience.
Highly recommend.
This is remarkable inside look at what goes into the algorithms social media companies use to increase clicks. shares, comments, etc. She started her big tech career at Google then a couple other social media companies before ending up at Facebook.
Most of her complaints were share in a series of Wall Street Journal articles, along with a 60 Minutes interview and then multiple talk shows.
The author reads the audiobook so that adds a personal touch to the experience.
Highly recommend.
Read
October 2, 2023I’m going to leave this without a rating because I don’t think it’s fair that I rate this book negatively.
This was our September bookclub pick and I don’t mind non fiction but this is just not for me. I’m appreciative of people’s stories but this is one I would rather watch as a documentary or hear about from the person themselves. It’s very politically wordy and that’s not really my thing when reading. I like to learn about things I’m interested in or just be entertained when I read and this did not tick either box.
So why no rating? I DNFd it, it should be 1 star. Because if it weren’t for bookclub there is no way I would have ever have picked this up. I wouldn’t have even read the blurb in a bookstore. It’s just not an interest of mine. I would read maybe a 2000 word essay on it but not a 300 page very dense book.
This was our September bookclub pick and I don’t mind non fiction but this is just not for me. I’m appreciative of people’s stories but this is one I would rather watch as a documentary or hear about from the person themselves. It’s very politically wordy and that’s not really my thing when reading. I like to learn about things I’m interested in or just be entertained when I read and this did not tick either box.
So why no rating? I DNFd it, it should be 1 star. Because if it weren’t for bookclub there is no way I would have ever have picked this up. I wouldn’t have even read the blurb in a bookstore. It’s just not an interest of mine. I would read maybe a 2000 word essay on it but not a 300 page very dense book.
October 19, 2024
To że jest to po prostu źle napisana książka to pół biedy. To że do końca nie wiadomo o co chodzi autorce to problem zasadniczy. A szkoda bo temat ważny czy nawet zasadniczy. Żyjemy bowiem w czasach w których jeden człowiek, mający w tej spółce władzę absolutną, może - bardziej lub mniej świadomie, dopuszczać do sytuacji w której jego system wykorzystywany jest przez złych ludzi do czynienia zła. Co nota bene jest całkowicie sprzeczne z oficjalną wizją tej firmy. I już widzę te pytania - a czy producent noży odpowiada za to że ktoś zamiast w kuchni wykorzystuje je w ulicznych bójkach? Odpowiedź jest - tak - jeżeli po odkryciu do czego mają służyć mógł je bez problemu zabrać ale tego nie zrobił z szacunku dla prawa własności. Niestety, pomimo że autorka, jako sygnalistka przekazała Kongresowi kilka tysięcy stron dokumentów wewnętrznych Facebooka jej opowieść nie pomoże nam w lepszym zrozumieniu firmy która przechodzi przez kolejne kryzysy takie jak Cambrigde Analytics czy wydarzenia w Birmie bez większego uszczerbku.
February 19, 2024
When you feel fatalism, it’s a sign that someone is trying to steal your power.
The Power of One, about the Facebook whistle-blower, is a surprising exploration of how social media algorithms are destroying our world, especially on Facebook and Instagram.
I regularly rode my bike past a large bronze statue that commemorated that forced migration. When I talk about the dangers of Facebook and ethnic violence, it doesn’t feel abstract to me. I knew from a very young age that even in America we have slaughtered religious minorities because we were divided among ourselves and scared of them.
Yes, a little light Missouri Mormon Extermination Order in the midst of her story of childhood. This book is nothing like what I expected. It is a bit like a book version of that Steve Jobs graduation speech where he talks about learning calligraphy just for the joy of it. Frances has led an extraordinary life. She’s extremely bright and surely one of the smartest people in any room she enters. She’s got a lot of EQ as well, except she seems to not believe that.
It was on the debate team that I first recognized my significant interpersonal deficits. I couldn’t pick up on sarcasm and wouldn’t get the humor of my teammates’ jokes. Our coach (until the end of my sophomore year) fondly referred to me as the “absent-minded professors’ child.”
Case in point above. I will skip over the childhood section and move straight to her college experience at Olin. I’d never even heard of it, which was not around when I went off to college. It sounds like the kind of non-traditional school that would have been sweet to attend, but make the rest of your life extra boring. She then applies and is accepted into Harvard Business School, except they think she needs work experience. Somehow she ends up hired at Google, which is another tell she’s super connected and smart. Google really shapes her life in so many ways, from her first husband to her understanding of search, machine learning, and everything that came later. She attends HBS and returns to Google with her MBA.
If we intentionally hide or withhold information from people that would change the decisions they make, we are exerting power over them. That is manipulation. That is precisely what I saw Facebook do over and over again. Not just withholding information, but actively denying the truth when people brought up concerns.
Prior to Facebook, she works at Yelp and Pinterest and has to not work for a time due to complications of celiac disease. She starts Facebook and quickly learns it is a total shitshow, with like 25 people in the integrity section as a response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but Facebook doesn’t really want to chase conspiracy pushers and bots off Facebook because it will shrink the user base and hence ad revenue. She doesn’t exactly say this but it is clear. During one fun day, her group maps out the horrifying constellation of dangerous shit that could happen in the 2020 election and then can only take on the top 5 or 10 (can’t recall which number it was but there were about 50 dire emergencies to choose from). Then Covid happens.
It’s easy to look at this outcome and see grounds for nihilism. All of those women put in countless hours and took real risks to themselves and to their children, and you could say it was all for nothing; the program was going to end anyhow. But the women who watched Operation Alert’s demise thought that their actions had percolated up to the upper branches of government. Regardless of the reality, what they saw was that when they came together, when they took a stand against role-playing national Armageddon and against the suicidal jingoism that created it, the drills ended. Their sense of accomplishment—even if illusory—pushed them to do more. The women who led the Operation Alert protests went on to become pivotal leaders in the antinuclear movement and played a critical role in passing the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963. Nuclear testing may sound innocuous, but a report from the US States National Cancer Institute quantified that the radiation from atmospheric nuclear bomb tests in Nevada from 1951 to 1962 exposed millions of American children to 50 to 160 rads of radiation.
The above selection is from early in the book when the author takes a class at Wellesley. It is clear she feels that any conscientious person with her knowledge would have blown a whistle but for the burnout and moral injury they had endured. In my view, no one had the ability to understand the data as well as she did, nor the ability to understand the horrors of what could happen as a result. And that is the surprise of this book. It is very well written. She takes a mysterious area of technology and makes it easy to digest and understand why Meta is disgusting. I thought I knew a lot about tech but this really added to my knowledge base on the intersection between algorithms and public policy. Is there wealth and privilege? Sure, and that no doubt made it easier to come forward, but this is still a remarkable story. I’ve read the WSJ reporter’s book as well and the two don’t compare. This is the one to read.
September 27, 2023
Everyone interested in social media or working with children or vulnerable adults should be reading this. This book explains the cycle of social media threats as well as how Pinterest and Facebook are both run by the same person.
September 19, 2023
The Power of One - Frances Haugen's account of how she came to blow the whistle on Facebook - reads like a thriller with flashbacks, suspense, and shocking revelations about the operations of Google, Pinterest (to a lesser extent), and Facebook (the main offender). It's all in the algorithms used to serve up "items of interest" to all users in order to increase - not the users' knowledge - but their clicks on ads. Facebook is a money machine, not a public service and it appears not especially concerned about the harm its unchecked recommender algorithms do in fomenting hate, enabling human rights abuses, and fueling polarisation in society (to name a few of many harms).
Contrast these two cases. Haugen cited the Myanmar use in 2017 of Facebook as an "echo chamber of anti-Rohingya content .. a flood of hateful, racist and patently untrue "information" ... Facebook did not institute safety measures. Today, September 16, 2023, this headline in the Globe and Mail (Canadian) reveals "Facebook ads for Ethiopian workers enable forced labour in Saudi Arabia, critics say." More of the same
Admittedly social media is very complex - its operation, its reach, the ease by which users can manipulate message and bad actors can find a foothold, the after-the-fact correcting or countering Facebook has tried, all described by Haughton in careful detail. Haughen's describes and analyzes the algorithms and efforts by Facebook to offset what it felt it could. Some of the text is very dense. But Haugen shows that Facebook could have and could today do much more. Perhaps the key issue is that Facebook blocks all public scrutiny - there is no overseer, no inspector, no standards of operation. Society and governments have taken Facebook's claim that it has done what it can while respecting free speech. Hardly.
Take this paragraph of the contribution of Jeff Horwitz, reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who gave Haughen the platform and encouragement to expose Facebook's behaviour.
"I had decided to take the actions I did because I was worried about ethnic violence, particularly in the most fragile places in the world. But it was largely, if not entirely, because of Jeff's prompting that history has an account of Facebook's impacts on teen mental health, racial and gender bias in AI, advertiser deception, misleading investor-growth reports, and Facebook lying about its preferential treatment of VIPs through its Cross-Check program. I would not have thought to document those topics if Jeff hadn't helped me appreciate what the world wanted to know, or really deserved to know about them." (291)
Society has always had misinformation, but social media has facilitated virulent and rapid dissemination and circulation of lies. The monster is out of the box. Can anything be done?
Haughen argues that requiring Facebook to open its data to public viewing will accomplish that. She doesn't mention generally accepted accounting principles (that I can remember) but the analogy would hold. She does give the car industry as an example of an industry that was dragged into adopting safety measures - seat belt, collapsing steering wheels, air bags. Safety mechanisms could be instituted for social media.
This is an important book today for what it reveals about the tech industry and its management principles (all for profit). Industries have been reined in before - so can this one - but first the public must demand change. It takes a special form of courage to risk one's job and risk backlash and hateful attacks to be a whistle-blower. Perhaps others will be inspired by Frances Haughen's courage.
Contrast these two cases. Haugen cited the Myanmar use in 2017 of Facebook as an "echo chamber of anti-Rohingya content .. a flood of hateful, racist and patently untrue "information" ... Facebook did not institute safety measures. Today, September 16, 2023, this headline in the Globe and Mail (Canadian) reveals "Facebook ads for Ethiopian workers enable forced labour in Saudi Arabia, critics say." More of the same
Admittedly social media is very complex - its operation, its reach, the ease by which users can manipulate message and bad actors can find a foothold, the after-the-fact correcting or countering Facebook has tried, all described by Haughton in careful detail. Haughen's describes and analyzes the algorithms and efforts by Facebook to offset what it felt it could. Some of the text is very dense. But Haugen shows that Facebook could have and could today do much more. Perhaps the key issue is that Facebook blocks all public scrutiny - there is no overseer, no inspector, no standards of operation. Society and governments have taken Facebook's claim that it has done what it can while respecting free speech. Hardly.
Take this paragraph of the contribution of Jeff Horwitz, reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who gave Haughen the platform and encouragement to expose Facebook's behaviour.
"I had decided to take the actions I did because I was worried about ethnic violence, particularly in the most fragile places in the world. But it was largely, if not entirely, because of Jeff's prompting that history has an account of Facebook's impacts on teen mental health, racial and gender bias in AI, advertiser deception, misleading investor-growth reports, and Facebook lying about its preferential treatment of VIPs through its Cross-Check program. I would not have thought to document those topics if Jeff hadn't helped me appreciate what the world wanted to know, or really deserved to know about them." (291)
Society has always had misinformation, but social media has facilitated virulent and rapid dissemination and circulation of lies. The monster is out of the box. Can anything be done?
Haughen argues that requiring Facebook to open its data to public viewing will accomplish that. She doesn't mention generally accepted accounting principles (that I can remember) but the analogy would hold. She does give the car industry as an example of an industry that was dragged into adopting safety measures - seat belt, collapsing steering wheels, air bags. Safety mechanisms could be instituted for social media.
This is an important book today for what it reveals about the tech industry and its management principles (all for profit). Industries have been reined in before - so can this one - but first the public must demand change. It takes a special form of courage to risk one's job and risk backlash and hateful attacks to be a whistle-blower. Perhaps others will be inspired by Frances Haughen's courage.
January 11, 2025
Well-written, revelatory yet unsurprising, this book is unsettling to its core. I liked how the personal narrative was interwoven with the information. I was scared this would just be a memoir- but it was a good mix of both. The author, who's extremely accomplished and articulate, has had an eventful life- and while it's a bit disconcerting to judge how interesting someone's life has been- hers certainly was, enough that a book incorporating different elements of it was enjoyable to read.
I appreciated the breakdown of complex concepts into simple language. What often lacks in the tech space is the ability to communicate- and Frances certainly didn't suffer from that. That can probably be credited to her past in debating as well as her expansive liberal-like tech education. That's indeed amazing, because it goes against the trope that the humanities are ultimately useless, for the privileged and a pretentious waste of time. Some of it can also be traced to her being a woman in a male-dominated space.
But here's where the book lost me, not within its actual pages but within its implications. Admittedly, the rest of this review is a bit of a rambling tangent (while it's also why I can't give the book five stars, this criticism is more meta):
What made me uncomfortable about the book was her unawareness of her own privilege. As an American, a blonde white woman and among the most well-educated people in the world, Frances' book came across as unintentionally self-serving. Some of the comments made about Third World countries left a bad taste in my mouth (as an Indian) because they were almost paternalistic. While accusing Facebook of only paying attention to the US, she fails to consider that systems designed for American citizens may not be nuanced enough for the developing world, that we may not share the same values or even the same commitment to democracy. That sounds harsh, but it's true.
Examples abound: maybe I'm a bit fatalistic but I just don't see how you flag "bad" vs "good" content or how you can define something as extreme without giving in to Western centrism. Calling for gay marriage is probably another Tuesday in California, bug akin to terrorism or extremism in Saudi. Islamophobia may be extreme in the USA but not even seen as that to a Hindu majority in India that's had multiple foreign invasions from Islamic invaders and think of Islamophobia as a censorious, imperialistic and Western import concept.
To be clear, it'd be unfair to pin all this on her. She did her part and has surely done more than I, or anyone I know, for civic good. So I'm not defending the current state of things, just saying that being politically neutral, simple or naive about this (like she is at the end) may be presumptuous considering all the factors she failed to, or cannot due to her bias, see.
I appreciated the breakdown of complex concepts into simple language. What often lacks in the tech space is the ability to communicate- and Frances certainly didn't suffer from that. That can probably be credited to her past in debating as well as her expansive liberal-like tech education. That's indeed amazing, because it goes against the trope that the humanities are ultimately useless, for the privileged and a pretentious waste of time. Some of it can also be traced to her being a woman in a male-dominated space.
But here's where the book lost me, not within its actual pages but within its implications. Admittedly, the rest of this review is a bit of a rambling tangent (while it's also why I can't give the book five stars, this criticism is more meta):
What made me uncomfortable about the book was her unawareness of her own privilege. As an American, a blonde white woman and among the most well-educated people in the world, Frances' book came across as unintentionally self-serving. Some of the comments made about Third World countries left a bad taste in my mouth (as an Indian) because they were almost paternalistic. While accusing Facebook of only paying attention to the US, she fails to consider that systems designed for American citizens may not be nuanced enough for the developing world, that we may not share the same values or even the same commitment to democracy. That sounds harsh, but it's true.
Examples abound: maybe I'm a bit fatalistic but I just don't see how you flag "bad" vs "good" content or how you can define something as extreme without giving in to Western centrism. Calling for gay marriage is probably another Tuesday in California, bug akin to terrorism or extremism in Saudi. Islamophobia may be extreme in the USA but not even seen as that to a Hindu majority in India that's had multiple foreign invasions from Islamic invaders and think of Islamophobia as a censorious, imperialistic and Western import concept.
To be clear, it'd be unfair to pin all this on her. She did her part and has surely done more than I, or anyone I know, for civic good. So I'm not defending the current state of things, just saying that being politically neutral, simple or naive about this (like she is at the end) may be presumptuous considering all the factors she failed to, or cannot due to her bias, see.
July 11, 2023
This book is one I am going to have a little difficulty reviewing. At first I was not quite sure what I was reading. Was this going to be a book about the deceptive goings-on at Facebook, exposed by an insider? Or was this going to be an auto-biography of a woman who until now I had never heard of? In any case at least initially it was well-written and kept your interest. I began to realize that Ms. Haugen had to tell you all about herself to lay the groundwork for why she was the one to shine the light on this issue. What an issue it is. In the world of Social Media I guess I am a lot like other people in that I point and click mindlessly through the app. Never once did I give any thought to algorithims or lines of code in my searches for online information. When initially presented with the issue of lack of honesty on the part of Facebook and other Social Media giants, I thought so what, there are people out there keeping an eye on them. But that was just it, Ms. Haugen was letting us know that those charged with self governance and transparency, were not governing at all. They were also deliberately not being transparent but opaque in how they presented their product to the public. This is where Ms. Haugen changed me as the reader from reading what could have been considered a little scoop or autobiography into reading a work of great importance. Admittedly, some of the technical jargon used was foreign to me. But, the author did a credible job of taking the complex and technical aspects of her job and making it easier for the reader to understand. I think that by her identifying the issue and holding the feet of those responsible to the fire, exposes the problem and screams for accountability on the part of Social Media. This was perhaps one of the most important books I have read to date. Excellent job Ms. Haugen!
January 3, 2025
GAFAM dążąc do ujednolicenia mediów, finansów deregulacji ekonomicznej i globalizacji uczynił z m.in. mediów społecznościowych taki sam produkt, jak każdy inny. Ktoś kto wymyślił platformę do wyszukiwania informacji, wymiany poglądów, wyszukiwania zdjęć, czy prezentowania swojego życia prywatnego znajomym lub komukolwiek, kto będzie chciał je oglądać, bez względu na szczytne idee, jakie głosił czy głosi, przede wszystkim dąży do zarobienia pieniędzy na pozyskiwanych danych, reklamach, czy czymkolwiek innym, co można zmonetyzować.
W którymś momencie okazało się, że treści kontrowersyjne, wyraziste poglądy, ostre wypowiedzi budują ruch, wywołują dyskusję, zwiększają czas użytkowania aplikacji, jednym zdaniem - na nich da się najlepiej zarobić. NIe zwrócono jednak uwagi, że nic nie dzieje się w próżni. Świat wirtualny i świat realny współistnieją, wpływają na siebie nawzajem. To co dzieje się w sieci, wpływa na decyzje, wybory, poglądy ludzi, a w skrajnym przypadku na ich życie lub śmierć. Dopóki była to Birma, czy inne antypody świata z punktu widzenia Doliny Krzemowej, to ignorowano, przemilczano, mówiono o jednostkowych sytuacjach. Gdy okazało się, że dotyczy to również Ameryki, wtedy zrobił się problem.
Biograficzna opowieść Frances Haugen nie tylko odsłania kulisy działań menedżerów wysokiego szczebla, ale pokazuje mechanizm ignorowania, ukrywania, wypierania niewygodnej prawdy. Korzystania na tym, że zmiana algorytmu na taki, który nagradza ekstremizm, jest ważniejsza od szkód, jakie on wyrządza w lokalnych społecznościach.
Zdemaskowanie działań Fb przyczyniło się do poprawy transparentności, wprowadzenia regulacji ograniczajacych negatywne działania. Na jak długo i na ile skutecznie - czas pokaże.
W którymś momencie okazało się, że treści kontrowersyjne, wyraziste poglądy, ostre wypowiedzi budują ruch, wywołują dyskusję, zwiększają czas użytkowania aplikacji, jednym zdaniem - na nich da się najlepiej zarobić. NIe zwrócono jednak uwagi, że nic nie dzieje się w próżni. Świat wirtualny i świat realny współistnieją, wpływają na siebie nawzajem. To co dzieje się w sieci, wpływa na decyzje, wybory, poglądy ludzi, a w skrajnym przypadku na ich życie lub śmierć. Dopóki była to Birma, czy inne antypody świata z punktu widzenia Doliny Krzemowej, to ignorowano, przemilczano, mówiono o jednostkowych sytuacjach. Gdy okazało się, że dotyczy to również Ameryki, wtedy zrobił się problem.
Biograficzna opowieść Frances Haugen nie tylko odsłania kulisy działań menedżerów wysokiego szczebla, ale pokazuje mechanizm ignorowania, ukrywania, wypierania niewygodnej prawdy. Korzystania na tym, że zmiana algorytmu na taki, który nagradza ekstremizm, jest ważniejsza od szkód, jakie on wyrządza w lokalnych społecznościach.
Zdemaskowanie działań Fb przyczyniło się do poprawy transparentności, wprowadzenia regulacji ograniczajacych negatywne działania. Na jak długo i na ile skutecznie - czas pokaże.
April 1, 2025
(...) "Sprawowanie władzy determinowane jest przez tysiące interakcji pomiędzy światem ludzi obdarzonych władzą a światem ludzi bezsilnych..."
Macie konto na Facebooku? Jest takie powiedzenie: nie ma cię na Facebooku tzn że nie istniejesz. Osobiście nie zgadzam się z tym stwierdzeniem. Ja bym raczej powiedziała, że ktoś, kto nie ma konta na Facebooku, ma spokojniejsze życie 🤣
"Kobieta, która przeciwstawiła się Facebookowi" autorstwa Frances Haugen, to książka genialnie wprowadzająca czytelnika za kulisy świata mediów społecznościowych. Niesamowicie ważna w dzisiejszym czasie, gdy większość życia toczy się na Facebooku, Instagramie, X itd. Autorka, która zna działanie mediów społecznościowych od środka, która sama była częścią tej machiny wpływającej na nasze decyzje, na postrzeganie otaczającej nas rzeczywistości i co najgorsze, na jej kreowanie. Gdy odeszła z pracy włożyła wiele wysiłku, by pokazać ogrom skali wykorzystywania Facebooka do działań manipulujących przed wyborami w USA, promowania mowy nienawiści, niszczenia psychiki, szczególnie wśród młodych osób. Frances Haugen jako jedyna miała odwagę stawić czoła gigantowi, ujawniła działania algorytmów, posługiwanie się platformą do szerzenia przemocy, kłamstw, spychania na margines pewnej części środowisk.
Wg mnie ta książka jest lekturą obowiązkową dla każdego. Bo każdy korzysta z mediów społecznościowych. Niby to wszystko jest nam wiadome, niby, ktoś, coś kiedyś usłyszał, gdzieś przeczytał. Ale uwierzcie mi, tak jak autorka przedstawia w swojej książce działanie Facebooka od środka, nie przeczytacie nigdzie indziej. Niesamowicie mądra i potrzebna pozycja na rynku czytelniczym.
Macie konto na Facebooku? Jest takie powiedzenie: nie ma cię na Facebooku tzn że nie istniejesz. Osobiście nie zgadzam się z tym stwierdzeniem. Ja bym raczej powiedziała, że ktoś, kto nie ma konta na Facebooku, ma spokojniejsze życie 🤣
"Kobieta, która przeciwstawiła się Facebookowi" autorstwa Frances Haugen, to książka genialnie wprowadzająca czytelnika za kulisy świata mediów społecznościowych. Niesamowicie ważna w dzisiejszym czasie, gdy większość życia toczy się na Facebooku, Instagramie, X itd. Autorka, która zna działanie mediów społecznościowych od środka, która sama była częścią tej machiny wpływającej na nasze decyzje, na postrzeganie otaczającej nas rzeczywistości i co najgorsze, na jej kreowanie. Gdy odeszła z pracy włożyła wiele wysiłku, by pokazać ogrom skali wykorzystywania Facebooka do działań manipulujących przed wyborami w USA, promowania mowy nienawiści, niszczenia psychiki, szczególnie wśród młodych osób. Frances Haugen jako jedyna miała odwagę stawić czoła gigantowi, ujawniła działania algorytmów, posługiwanie się platformą do szerzenia przemocy, kłamstw, spychania na margines pewnej części środowisk.
Wg mnie ta książka jest lekturą obowiązkową dla każdego. Bo każdy korzysta z mediów społecznościowych. Niby to wszystko jest nam wiadome, niby, ktoś, coś kiedyś usłyszał, gdzieś przeczytał. Ale uwierzcie mi, tak jak autorka przedstawia w swojej książce działanie Facebooka od środka, nie przeczytacie nigdzie indziej. Niesamowicie mądra i potrzebna pozycja na rynku czytelniczym.
March 23, 2024
Frances Haugen heeft uitgebreid weergegeven hoe schadelijk Facebook is voor de digitaliserende samenleving. Algoritmen waren superschadelijk, maar iedere euro winst prevaleerde boven alles. Soms volslagen willekeurig. Na drie boeken te hebben gelezen over de sociale media, heb ik nu wel een alomvattend beeld over de techsector. Dat door simpelweg 'vakantie' of 'drie weken vrijaf' beschermingsmaatregelen uitstonden rond de Capitoolbestorming, het amateurisme is gewoon bizar.
In en over de techindustrie heerst fatalisme. In de eerste plaats omdat bij Facebook gewoon zo min mogelijk werd uitgegeven, voor maximale winst, terwijl Facebook in Afrika en delen van Azië een internetmonopolie had. In de tweede plaats omdat politici en bestuurders bang zijn om grenzen te stellen aan wat schadelijke content is.
Haugen schreef ook over de weg naar een succesvolle carriére in de (tech)businessindustrie. Die is soms vol van pesterijen en misogyn gedrag, zeker in de prille fase van een carriere. Het boek kwam moeizaam op gang omdat Haugen soms in de overdrijving doorsloeg, overgedetailleerd. En soms las je om de twee bladzijden 'Dit zou later meespelen in mijn beslissing om de Facebookzaak aan te kaarten'. Terwijl, ze op het eind concludeert dat ze het doet voor een veilige samenleving. Fantastisch.
3/5 omdat het superinformatief was, maar had korter gekund. En na drie boeken over algoritmen en sociale media ben ik wel klaar met deze sectie boeken.
In en over de techindustrie heerst fatalisme. In de eerste plaats omdat bij Facebook gewoon zo min mogelijk werd uitgegeven, voor maximale winst, terwijl Facebook in Afrika en delen van Azië een internetmonopolie had. In de tweede plaats omdat politici en bestuurders bang zijn om grenzen te stellen aan wat schadelijke content is.
Haugen schreef ook over de weg naar een succesvolle carriére in de (tech)businessindustrie. Die is soms vol van pesterijen en misogyn gedrag, zeker in de prille fase van een carriere. Het boek kwam moeizaam op gang omdat Haugen soms in de overdrijving doorsloeg, overgedetailleerd. En soms las je om de twee bladzijden 'Dit zou later meespelen in mijn beslissing om de Facebookzaak aan te kaarten'. Terwijl, ze op het eind concludeert dat ze het doet voor een veilige samenleving. Fantastisch.
3/5 omdat het superinformatief was, maar had korter gekund. En na drie boeken over algoritmen en sociale media ben ik wel klaar met deze sectie boeken.
Read
September 15, 2023Not sure how to rate this, so I am not rating it. I found the premise of the book very good. It gives her background, decisions she has made throughout her life, choices that were good or bad, and how each led to her going to Facebook, and then ultimately becoming a whistleblower.
I also liked that she admits to needing to learn quite a bit at each job; I think people, particularly young people starting their careers need to understand that you are always learning, not just in school, and that there is a learning curve with all jobs. She had many jobs in Tech businesses, but each required her to learn.
The tech part of her jobs were in all honestly cumbersome for me to read. Perhaps it is due to me not having any background in that world, or with computer jargon.
The narrative style was at times engaging, and at other times a bit plodding. She endured a lot health wise, and seems to allude to the possibility of writing a book about those issues in more detail at some point in the future. I am not sure she will actually go through with that, because I do think she is a private person, which is why at times this book felt distant. She isn't comfortable with a more intimate writing style I suppose, due to her essentially private nature.
That private sense is also part of the premise...how she handles being a whistle blower, despite her more private nature.
I also liked that she admits to needing to learn quite a bit at each job; I think people, particularly young people starting their careers need to understand that you are always learning, not just in school, and that there is a learning curve with all jobs. She had many jobs in Tech businesses, but each required her to learn.
The tech part of her jobs were in all honestly cumbersome for me to read. Perhaps it is due to me not having any background in that world, or with computer jargon.
The narrative style was at times engaging, and at other times a bit plodding. She endured a lot health wise, and seems to allude to the possibility of writing a book about those issues in more detail at some point in the future. I am not sure she will actually go through with that, because I do think she is a private person, which is why at times this book felt distant. She isn't comfortable with a more intimate writing style I suppose, due to her essentially private nature.
That private sense is also part of the premise...how she handles being a whistle blower, despite her more private nature.
September 25, 2023
I Would give this book a 3. I was really confused as to what the book was about at first. Couldn’t figure out if it was going to be about what she found out at Facebook or if it was an autobiography.
The information that she does share about Facebook is really interesting, but there’s a lot of facts mixed in about her life that seemed out of place.
She does have an interesting story and I was really inspired by her drive to grow as a professional within her career, but some comments made me go, “yikes”. For example, she described herself as “broke” during a hard time in her life but was a co-owner of a home in Oakland and had the funds to get an additional apartment in SF at that time. Understandable that it was a difficult period for her but it made me cringe since I know several people in the Bay Area who make $15-$20/hour and either share a bed with their kids or sleep in their living room with multiple family members. Housing is just a sore topic for Bay Area folks and it was hard to read.
Overall, I still think it’s cool what she’s doing and I’m glad that I finished the book. I wish she’d tried to connect more with the readers about social media and had written more about advocating for safer internet spaces. She eventually got to a lot of the FB information in later chapters, but this book was just a little too inconsistent with topics (for me at least).
The information that she does share about Facebook is really interesting, but there’s a lot of facts mixed in about her life that seemed out of place.
She does have an interesting story and I was really inspired by her drive to grow as a professional within her career, but some comments made me go, “yikes”. For example, she described herself as “broke” during a hard time in her life but was a co-owner of a home in Oakland and had the funds to get an additional apartment in SF at that time. Understandable that it was a difficult period for her but it made me cringe since I know several people in the Bay Area who make $15-$20/hour and either share a bed with their kids or sleep in their living room with multiple family members. Housing is just a sore topic for Bay Area folks and it was hard to read.
Overall, I still think it’s cool what she’s doing and I’m glad that I finished the book. I wish she’d tried to connect more with the readers about social media and had written more about advocating for safer internet spaces. She eventually got to a lot of the FB information in later chapters, but this book was just a little too inconsistent with topics (for me at least).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2023
This is a book everyone should read. The author goes into detail about what she found during her time working at Facebook. She explains her findings in basic terms so even non-marketing pros can understand it.
Her main point is that social media and tech companies (not just Facebook/Meta) need to be more transparent about their systems and algorithms so they can be held accountable. As of this writing, only employees of the company know the inner workings and they are motivated by profit to keep it secret.
She gives a great example of comparing this situation to Ralph Nader’s work to make cars safer. It’s all about owning the blame to incentivize the producers to take responsibility for their actions. It worked for cars (required seatbelts), and the same playbook can be used for social media and tech companies.
She also says there needs to be more education in schools (high school and beyond) about how the social media sites work on the inside and how to safely navigate them. It would probably be something akin to financial literary courses.
She is fair in her assessment and assigns credit and blame where it is due. This is not a hit piece on Facebook.
It was a little long and she even mentioned leaving sections of her early life out to keep the book a reasonable length. LOL.
Her main point is that social media and tech companies (not just Facebook/Meta) need to be more transparent about their systems and algorithms so they can be held accountable. As of this writing, only employees of the company know the inner workings and they are motivated by profit to keep it secret.
She gives a great example of comparing this situation to Ralph Nader’s work to make cars safer. It’s all about owning the blame to incentivize the producers to take responsibility for their actions. It worked for cars (required seatbelts), and the same playbook can be used for social media and tech companies.
She also says there needs to be more education in schools (high school and beyond) about how the social media sites work on the inside and how to safely navigate them. It would probably be something akin to financial literary courses.
She is fair in her assessment and assigns credit and blame where it is due. This is not a hit piece on Facebook.
It was a little long and she even mentioned leaving sections of her early life out to keep the book a reasonable length. LOL.
July 23, 2025
So helpful, highly recommend
I feel like this book is so important for people to understand how social media companies like Facebook (instagram) operate. You always hear about the harmful effects of social media, but now I understand more about how the harmful effects happen, and that they are preventable, without putting companies in the position of being the censors. After reading this I feel like we should be angrier with companies like Meta, and that we have more power than we realize. Because they have more ability to make social media safer than they will admit to. A lot more.
The content can be technical at times but I feel like the author’s goal is to make the technical understandable, so she does a good job of using analogies and examples to explain herself.
I also appreciate how one person really can make a difference. It seems that her unique educational and career path gave her the tailored tools to bring to light, in all its complexity, facebook’s misdeeds, and make them understandable to lawmakers and the public. Also kudos to Jeff Horowitz (along with the author) at the Wall Street Journal for his perseverance in pursuing the extremely dangerous effect that Facebook was, and still is, having across the world, especially in developing nations. I had no idea.
I feel like this book is so important for people to understand how social media companies like Facebook (instagram) operate. You always hear about the harmful effects of social media, but now I understand more about how the harmful effects happen, and that they are preventable, without putting companies in the position of being the censors. After reading this I feel like we should be angrier with companies like Meta, and that we have more power than we realize. Because they have more ability to make social media safer than they will admit to. A lot more.
The content can be technical at times but I feel like the author’s goal is to make the technical understandable, so she does a good job of using analogies and examples to explain herself.
I also appreciate how one person really can make a difference. It seems that her unique educational and career path gave her the tailored tools to bring to light, in all its complexity, facebook’s misdeeds, and make them understandable to lawmakers and the public. Also kudos to Jeff Horowitz (along with the author) at the Wall Street Journal for his perseverance in pursuing the extremely dangerous effect that Facebook was, and still is, having across the world, especially in developing nations. I had no idea.
September 11, 2023
Very enjoyable read! This is a chronological biography full of reflections of how key moments in her life led to her being able to decide to expose Facebook to the public. It very much made me aware of the fact that life in the present prepares us for big moments in the future.
Frances Haugen also breaks down big topics in technology such as algorithm design,
recommendation engines and machine learning models. The book is very robust in this coverage. She also takes us on a big of a trip down tech memory lane. She recounts how Google decided on breaking into social networks and machine learning products and how Facebook grew from an elite college's social network to the behemoth it is today.
This is not only a story about tech or even Facebook. Neither is it the story of this educated and smart woman in tech using her power for the greater good. Instead it is a story about pure strength and relentlessness. It is about the importance of trusting that gut instinct telling you difference from right and wrong and pushing through with it even when everyone else accepts something else as the status quo. And it is about the importance of planning and being prepared for when your big moment comes.
Frances Haugen also breaks down big topics in technology such as algorithm design,
recommendation engines and machine learning models. The book is very robust in this coverage. She also takes us on a big of a trip down tech memory lane. She recounts how Google decided on breaking into social networks and machine learning products and how Facebook grew from an elite college's social network to the behemoth it is today.
This is not only a story about tech or even Facebook. Neither is it the story of this educated and smart woman in tech using her power for the greater good. Instead it is a story about pure strength and relentlessness. It is about the importance of trusting that gut instinct telling you difference from right and wrong and pushing through with it even when everyone else accepts something else as the status quo. And it is about the importance of planning and being prepared for when your big moment comes.
November 11, 2024
[ współpraca recenzencka]
Żyjemy w świecie mediów społecznościowych, które kreują naszą rzeczywistość. I nie ma nawet opcji, żeby temu zaprzeczyć. Każda platforma narzuca nam sposób myślenia i postępowania.
Znajdują się jednak osoby, które się temu otwarcie przeciwstawiają i z rzetelnie przygotowanymi argumentami chcą zmienić dzisiejszy świat. Przedstawiają zagrożenia, które przenoszą się z wirtualnego świata do rzeczywistości. Pokazują także metody, jak można im zapobiegać.
Jedna z takich osób jest Frances Haugen - sygnalistka, która przestawiła dokumentację obciążającą przede wszystkim Facebook o dezinformacji i manipulacji przedwyborczych, podsycania mowy nienawiści oraz degradacji zdrowia psychicznego nastolatków.
Książka „Kobieta, która przeciwstawiła się Facebookowi. Walka o transparentność i odpowiedzialność gigantów technologicznych” to obraz drogi bohaterki od lat dziecięcych po przełomowy wywiad w „60 Minutes”.
Frances to inspirująca kobieta, która nie poddaje się, wyciąga wnioski, uczy się z przeszkód i prze do przodu, mimo, że inni dawno by się poddali.
Uświadamiająca i powodująca, że zatrzymałam się na chwilę.. przenosząc się w świat cyfryzacji i algorytmów - kosmos 🫣
Żyjemy w świecie mediów społecznościowych, które kreują naszą rzeczywistość. I nie ma nawet opcji, żeby temu zaprzeczyć. Każda platforma narzuca nam sposób myślenia i postępowania.
Znajdują się jednak osoby, które się temu otwarcie przeciwstawiają i z rzetelnie przygotowanymi argumentami chcą zmienić dzisiejszy świat. Przedstawiają zagrożenia, które przenoszą się z wirtualnego świata do rzeczywistości. Pokazują także metody, jak można im zapobiegać.
Jedna z takich osób jest Frances Haugen - sygnalistka, która przestawiła dokumentację obciążającą przede wszystkim Facebook o dezinformacji i manipulacji przedwyborczych, podsycania mowy nienawiści oraz degradacji zdrowia psychicznego nastolatków.
Książka „Kobieta, która przeciwstawiła się Facebookowi. Walka o transparentność i odpowiedzialność gigantów technologicznych” to obraz drogi bohaterki od lat dziecięcych po przełomowy wywiad w „60 Minutes”.
Frances to inspirująca kobieta, która nie poddaje się, wyciąga wnioski, uczy się z przeszkód i prze do przodu, mimo, że inni dawno by się poddali.
Uświadamiająca i powodująca, że zatrzymałam się na chwilę.. przenosząc się w świat cyfryzacji i algorytmów - kosmos 🫣
December 27, 2023
Overall, this was a pretty interesting and thought-provoking memoir of Facebook-whistleblower Frances Haugen.
It is very much a memoir that spends a non-trivial amount of time on Haugen's life and career before joining Facebook. Some of this was useful context to Haugen's background and headspace before leading up to Facebook, but the pre-Facebook parts did feel a tad bit unnecessarily long to me. Not all of it felt relevant, and I can't help but think the central point of the book might have been better framed around Facebook first and relevant history interspersed throughout, rather than the current structure of a roughly chronological memoir with bits of how these parts were relevant to Facebook interspersed throughout.
It is still an interesting read though- there were many parts of Facebook that I hadn't been aware of at the time of reading.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
It is very much a memoir that spends a non-trivial amount of time on Haugen's life and career before joining Facebook. Some of this was useful context to Haugen's background and headspace before leading up to Facebook, but the pre-Facebook parts did feel a tad bit unnecessarily long to me. Not all of it felt relevant, and I can't help but think the central point of the book might have been better framed around Facebook first and relevant history interspersed throughout, rather than the current structure of a roughly chronological memoir with bits of how these parts were relevant to Facebook interspersed throughout.
It is still an interesting read though- there were many parts of Facebook that I hadn't been aware of at the time of reading.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
January 1, 2025
I have been following Frances Haugen since she spoke out a few years ago. I am a first grade teacher and found that over the years I talk to my students more and more about the effects of technology on their growing brains and how to be safe online. I have seen horrendous bullying on social media, threats, lies, and everything in between. I am so thankful for people like Frances, as well as those fighting alongside her like the Center for Humane Technology. This book is such a great call to action—not only for tech companies but to US! We need to start demanding transparency from these companies. Not only for our children, but for the thousands of people in other countries who are dying because their social media has no safeguards. Thank you, Frances, for being a voice amongst the few who have spoken out against this.
September 16, 2024
This book could have been a lot shorter.One doesn't even need to go through the troubles of reading , if the Testimonials of Miss Haugen are looked in to at youtube.
Almost 80% of the book is autobiography of Miss Haugen....She has also written that a lot of info cannot be divulged in the book because of the legal nature attached to them..
A day with few documentaries on Social Media , a few senate hearings of Zuckerberg and other social media moguls at senate committee are more than enough to enlighten us all to the chaos being created by these Giant Tech behemoths.These are shocking revelations.
None the less , the bravery and context put forward by Miss Haugen is truely appreciable.
Almost 80% of the book is autobiography of Miss Haugen....She has also written that a lot of info cannot be divulged in the book because of the legal nature attached to them..
A day with few documentaries on Social Media , a few senate hearings of Zuckerberg and other social media moguls at senate committee are more than enough to enlighten us all to the chaos being created by these Giant Tech behemoths.These are shocking revelations.
None the less , the bravery and context put forward by Miss Haugen is truely appreciable.
March 20, 2025
3.5 stars, which I will round down to 3 stars overall.
This book is about one person’s determination to get the truth out. A very admiral story about speaking up for what is right.
The thing for me, and the reason for my lower review is I just could not get into this. Parts were interesting, like the road to Google, childhood stories, and University life but that was about it. It could have been my lack of understanding about computer tech and algorithms but, also, I think there could have been more human in this story. The story here was very techy, very dry, and lack of emotions. Even talking about personal issues such as medical concerns, very dry, not a lot of information.
Like I said, I couldn’t get into it. It felt like I was watching paint dry.
This book is about one person’s determination to get the truth out. A very admiral story about speaking up for what is right.
The thing for me, and the reason for my lower review is I just could not get into this. Parts were interesting, like the road to Google, childhood stories, and University life but that was about it. It could have been my lack of understanding about computer tech and algorithms but, also, I think there could have been more human in this story. The story here was very techy, very dry, and lack of emotions. Even talking about personal issues such as medical concerns, very dry, not a lot of information.
Like I said, I couldn’t get into it. It felt like I was watching paint dry.
December 26, 2023
I got hoodwinked by this book. Although it had a good overall message I would not recommend this book to anyone not working in tech or a tech adjacent role. The first 250 pages is a dry account about the whistleblowers career in tech (with 100 pages devoted to her debate career + upbringing). I think this would only be valuable to someone looking to learn more about how corporate tech functions. The last 30% of the story is interesting but there has to be better books/media out there on facebook and this topic
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