"This is a must-read for anyone concerned with where we are today and looking for a better path forward.” ―Steve Wozniak, Co-founder, Apple Inc.
Big Tech is driving us, our kids, and society mad. In the nick of time, Restoring Our Sanity Online presents the bold, revolutionary framework for an epic reboot. What would social media look like if it nourished our critical thinking, mental health, privacy, civil discourse, and democracy? Is that even possible?
Restoring Our Sanity Online is the entertaining, informative, and frequently jaw-dropping social reset by Mark Weinstein, contemporary tech leader, privacy expert, and one of the visionary inventors of social networking.
This book is for all of us. Casual and heavy users of social media, parents, teachers, students, techies, entrepreneurs, investors, and elected officials. Restoring Our Sanity Online is the catapult to an exciting, enriching, and authentic future. Readers will embark on a captivating journey leading to an inspiring and actionable reinvention.
Restoring Our Sanity Online includes thought-provoking insights including:
-Empowering You―Social Media User, Content Creator -In The Crosshairs: Privacy And Anonymity -Saving Our Kids From The Abyss -Surprise! Social Media Can Be Good For Your Mental Health -Is AI The High-Tech Tattletale In Your Social Experience? -Lifting the Veil On Bots and Trolls -Facts, Opinions, Lies―Who Decides? -Web3 Is Here―What The Heck Is It? -Is There a Better Way?
MARK WEINSTEIN is a world-renowned tech entrepreneur, contemporary thought leader, privacy expert, and one of the visionary inventors of social networking. His adventure in social media has lasted over 25 years through three award-winning personal social media platforms enjoyed by millions of members worldwide.
Mark is frequently interviewed and published in major media including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fox, CNN, BBC, PBS, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, and many more worldwide. He covers topics including social media, privacy, AI, free speech, antitrust, and protecting kids online.
During his social media years, Mark’s advisors have included Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web; Steve “Woz” Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; Sherry Turkle, MIT academic and tech ethics leader; Raj Sisodia, co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism movement; and many others.
A leading privacy advocate, Mark's landmark 2020 TED Talk, “The Rise of Surveillance Capitalism,” exposed the many infractions and manipulations by Big Tech, and called for a privacy revolution. Mark has also been listed as one of the “Top 8 Minds in Online Privacy” and named “Privacy by Design Ambassador” by the Canadian government.
This was a thoughtful, expertly researched, and engaging read. The author did a fantastic job of balancing the book, combining technical knowledge of technology and the business surrounding social media development with personal storytelling and a strong connection to the reader. There were numerous elements of this business that the author introduced, which were mind-blowing, such as the infusion of Conscious Capitalism into social media development and the significant influence that social media influencers have on the growing market.
Yet it was the ethical nature of the author’s work and research that stood out. The virtues of Restoration Networking were an especially inspiring work. The need to eliminate targeted ads and data mining, along with infusing age verification and parental permission for younger teens and even limiting screen times in general would not only help eliminate the negatives of social media, but create more opportunities for the benefits of social media to shine, such as education opportunities, jobs, and connecting with friends and family more often.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, engaging, and inviting in general, author Mark Weinstein’s “Restoring Our Sanity Online” is a must-read nonfiction book on social media and parenting as a whole. The powerful insights, real-world strategies, and tools to help safely immerse teens in the social media scene, along with the expertise the author brings to their writing, will stay with readers and allow them to return to this book time and again to gain a deeper understanding of the world of social media.