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Google Archipelago: The Digital Gulag and the Simulation of Freedom
Google The Digital Gulag and the Simulation of Freedom explores the reach, penetration, power, and impact of Big Digital or the mega-information managers, social media platforms, Artificial Intelligence developers, providers of other web applications and functionalities, and the architects and proponents of the promised Internet of Things. Alphabet (Google, YouTube, etc.) Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, Yelp, and LinkedIn, as well as their many subsidiaries and competitors, comprise a digital collective Big Digital whose domain is global and whose ideological and functional power represents a force unlike any other in history.
Big Digital, a non-governmental constellation of digital technology corporations, now presides over public and private life to such an extent that it rivals, if not surpassing, the governmental reach and penetration of many national governments, combined. Big Digital represents a new private form of government, or a governmentality, the means by which populations are governed, and the technologies that enable that governance. But the constraints of the political field superintended by Big Digital include more than censorship and bias. Constraints are structurally determined by the technology.
The primary means behind Big Digital's governmental functions is ideology. And the ideology of Big Digital is decidedly leftist. I call Big Digital's ideology corporate leftism, or to borrow from and redefine a phrase coined by George Gilder, "Google Marxism". Corporate leftism comprises the set of values and beliefs now lodged within a growing number of US and other corporations. Corporate leftism informs the policies, politics, and procedures of Big Digital.
But corporate leftism is also disseminated well beyond the work cultures of Big Digital's corporate headquarters and regional sites. Corporate leftism is not a subsidiary feature or incidental aspect of Big Digital. Leftism is coded into the very DNA of Big Digital technology and replicated with every organizational offshoot and new technology. Big Digital's leftist ideology circulates through the deep neural networks of cyberspace and other digital spheres. Corporate leftism is intrinsic to the structure of the Internet, the cloud, algorithms, apps, AI bots, social media services, web navigation tracking software systems, virtual assistants, and more.
Google Archipelago tells the story of how Silicon Valley's digital technology corporations became bastions of leftism how, why, and to what ends corporate leftism constituted and informed Big Digital, while still promoting the commercial objectives of its digital global conglomerates and extending their reach as a private governmentality. Big Digital's corporate leftism is authoritarian to the core and the leading governmentality in today's world is the corporate leftist authoritarianism that I call the Google Archipelago.
Big Digital, a non-governmental constellation of digital technology corporations, now presides over public and private life to such an extent that it rivals, if not surpassing, the governmental reach and penetration of many national governments, combined. Big Digital represents a new private form of government, or a governmentality, the means by which populations are governed, and the technologies that enable that governance. But the constraints of the political field superintended by Big Digital include more than censorship and bias. Constraints are structurally determined by the technology.
The primary means behind Big Digital's governmental functions is ideology. And the ideology of Big Digital is decidedly leftist. I call Big Digital's ideology corporate leftism, or to borrow from and redefine a phrase coined by George Gilder, "Google Marxism". Corporate leftism comprises the set of values and beliefs now lodged within a growing number of US and other corporations. Corporate leftism informs the policies, politics, and procedures of Big Digital.
But corporate leftism is also disseminated well beyond the work cultures of Big Digital's corporate headquarters and regional sites. Corporate leftism is not a subsidiary feature or incidental aspect of Big Digital. Leftism is coded into the very DNA of Big Digital technology and replicated with every organizational offshoot and new technology. Big Digital's leftist ideology circulates through the deep neural networks of cyberspace and other digital spheres. Corporate leftism is intrinsic to the structure of the Internet, the cloud, algorithms, apps, AI bots, social media services, web navigation tracking software systems, virtual assistants, and more.
Google Archipelago tells the story of how Silicon Valley's digital technology corporations became bastions of leftism how, why, and to what ends corporate leftism constituted and informed Big Digital, while still promoting the commercial objectives of its digital global conglomerates and extending their reach as a private governmentality. Big Digital's corporate leftism is authoritarian to the core and the leading governmentality in today's world is the corporate leftist authoritarianism that I call the Google Archipelago.
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Published November 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 10, 2019
This should not be read in starts and fits. It needs more attention paid to it than that.
September 21, 2019
A conspiracy theory mess. Private companies are government in disguise. The government is resurrecting Communism. And everything is a big secret, so big Rectwald knows it all.
June 25, 2020
A previous reviewer noted that this book should not be read in an on and off type of way- in other words, it should be read in one go. I wish I had read that review before I started. The book can, at times, appear disjointed, and not reading it in one go can add to that feeling.
Another reviewer noted that the writer wrote this book as propaganda. I have to disagree with that assessment- I think paranoid would fit better at certain points of the book. Michael Rectenwald obviously saw something in the world, something that horrified him, and his inarticulate horror made him slightly incoherent at times. At times, it may seem as if he is overreaching on certain points. But at no point did I think this book was propaganda, and while, at times, there is a note of hysteria and slight paranoia, they do not diminish the sense of concern he has- or whatever value the authors point of view has.
No matter what you political view point, there will be something here for you, if you are open minded to it.
Another reviewer noted that the writer wrote this book as propaganda. I have to disagree with that assessment- I think paranoid would fit better at certain points of the book. Michael Rectenwald obviously saw something in the world, something that horrified him, and his inarticulate horror made him slightly incoherent at times. At times, it may seem as if he is overreaching on certain points. But at no point did I think this book was propaganda, and while, at times, there is a note of hysteria and slight paranoia, they do not diminish the sense of concern he has- or whatever value the authors point of view has.
No matter what you political view point, there will be something here for you, if you are open minded to it.
October 28, 2023
There did not seem to be a whole lot of research that went into this book. The author makes some (probably accurate) assumptions about the intentions of Big Data, but doesn't really back it up with anything more than surface level talking points. A more serious author probably would tracked down whistleblowers and otherwise dug up real primary sources and not just spoken to headlines we've all heard and called it a day.
Healthy skepticism means being skeptical of big corporations and the government and all the things this author is worried about... while still being skeptical enough about your own instincts that you'll take the time to verify if those instincts are even correct. This book fails to meet that standard.
Interesting subject, compelling thesis, but not anywhere near enough meat on the bone to be taken seriously or to really learn anything from. A better title than book.
Healthy skepticism means being skeptical of big corporations and the government and all the things this author is worried about... while still being skeptical enough about your own instincts that you'll take the time to verify if those instincts are even correct. This book fails to meet that standard.
Interesting subject, compelling thesis, but not anywhere near enough meat on the bone to be taken seriously or to really learn anything from. A better title than book.
must-find
July 10, 2019Author on GB 7/10/19.
June 11, 2023
This is a relatively short book about the perils of our digital world - especially AI. There is a lot here - the author shows the potential for totalitarian impulses in social media. But he extends the argument to woke corporations.
He points out (I think mostly correctly) that the algorithms of Google and other social media sites which are biased toward interpretations of the progressives. He gets caught up in rhetoric occasionally. The risks are indeed real. Fake news is real. Most of the hoaxes we lived through over the last couple of years were created or managed by the overlords of social media and managed by woke corporations.
He has a good section on the potential overbearance of information - when do we sacrifice privacy for security. He describes the systems of control in many of China's cities and in Darwin Australia - in all those locations the collection of data can influence boundaries - in China for things like where you can go and whether you can obtain a mortgage. He discusses the ability of social media companies to limit who can participate and while some of the limitations are legit others are not and he correctly points out that odd balls of the left are more likely to be given a free pass than odd balls of the right.
What I think is understated here is the ability of those of us who have questions about the role of social monitors to influence the outcomes. I think those of us who do - still have the ability to influence the debate. As to the potential for WOKE corporations to control the discussion - there are certainly lots of examples of woke oversteps - but the recent experience of Bud Light and Target and even Disney - are examples that suggest that the totalitarian woke movement may have reached its limit.
He points out (I think mostly correctly) that the algorithms of Google and other social media sites which are biased toward interpretations of the progressives. He gets caught up in rhetoric occasionally. The risks are indeed real. Fake news is real. Most of the hoaxes we lived through over the last couple of years were created or managed by the overlords of social media and managed by woke corporations.
He has a good section on the potential overbearance of information - when do we sacrifice privacy for security. He describes the systems of control in many of China's cities and in Darwin Australia - in all those locations the collection of data can influence boundaries - in China for things like where you can go and whether you can obtain a mortgage. He discusses the ability of social media companies to limit who can participate and while some of the limitations are legit others are not and he correctly points out that odd balls of the left are more likely to be given a free pass than odd balls of the right.
What I think is understated here is the ability of those of us who have questions about the role of social monitors to influence the outcomes. I think those of us who do - still have the ability to influence the debate. As to the potential for WOKE corporations to control the discussion - there are certainly lots of examples of woke oversteps - but the recent experience of Bud Light and Target and even Disney - are examples that suggest that the totalitarian woke movement may have reached its limit.
February 18, 2021
Turns out, there is a whole lot more than "digital capitalism" to be worried about, if you are inclined to worry about the future of life, online.
Some concepts you will come to understand in this book:
- corporate leftism
- corporate (and monopolistic) socialism
- "woke" capitalism
- the digital gulag
- digital Marxism/Google Marxism
- digital Maoism
- "smart" cities
How all of these concepts are interwoven and related to what we are all participant in currently is presented well enough by the author. And what makes it convincing is his assertion that Big Digital/Big Tech is actually assuming more and more roles of Big Government, and that the total merger of them is not far off on the horizon. There is an easy and solid alliance between the two entities, and the speed at which the transition is happening is alarming, having no actual or pushback from a more-than-wiling virtual consumer base. We are seeing some of it now with virtual citizen policing of social media, platform owners barring/banning pages and websites, Google manipulating searches to yield a world with a particular viewpoint versus a world that actually exists.
The text is a little choppy in some spots and I didn't quite think that the story departures were needed. Mr. Rectenwald's disdain for leftist academia shines through quite clearly, but barring that, the book is a quick read and good primer for the topics discussed.
Some concepts you will come to understand in this book:
- corporate leftism
- corporate (and monopolistic) socialism
- "woke" capitalism
- the digital gulag
- digital Marxism/Google Marxism
- digital Maoism
- "smart" cities
How all of these concepts are interwoven and related to what we are all participant in currently is presented well enough by the author. And what makes it convincing is his assertion that Big Digital/Big Tech is actually assuming more and more roles of Big Government, and that the total merger of them is not far off on the horizon. There is an easy and solid alliance between the two entities, and the speed at which the transition is happening is alarming, having no actual or pushback from a more-than-wiling virtual consumer base. We are seeing some of it now with virtual citizen policing of social media, platform owners barring/banning pages and websites, Google manipulating searches to yield a world with a particular viewpoint versus a world that actually exists.
The text is a little choppy in some spots and I didn't quite think that the story departures were needed. Mr. Rectenwald's disdain for leftist academia shines through quite clearly, but barring that, the book is a quick read and good primer for the topics discussed.
May 22, 2021
Though a bit disjointed at times (I should have seen the comments that better read in one go, as that would have helped) and feels a bit incomplete at the end, this is rather a thought provoking book. Rectenwald clearly has some strong worries with the future shaping up under the strong current of the big tech (who doesn't?) and he builds up a number of theories throughout the book. He throws out there a number of concepts, from digital Marxism to corporate socialism and woke capitalism, and he makes a good number of strong arguments. Even if there's a bit of a feeling that he's extremely worried (and is strongly anti-collectivism) and hence that may affect his viewpoints/argumentation, there is plenty rationality and food for thought throughout the book. Certainly worth a read.
February 24, 2021
The author provides his insight into the current irrational trends to stifle freedom and individualism through the aligning of interests between big government, big media, and big digital platforms. The book gets technical at times and I found myself skipping over sections that are likely important to bring to the world, but for me was a bit too much of what seemed to be writing to look smart. Still, Rectenwald is an important and unique voice in this area of a pressing anti-reason and pro-totalitarian/collectivist cultural movement.
January 5, 2022
This author is good at quoting others rather than contributing anything new, yet somehow comes off as arrogant and self-congratulatory. Once or twice, I got interested in some novel idea, but ultimately found this book disappointing with due to the strong bias. This is mostly avant about "woke" "big digital" corporations silencing and "digitally disappearing" people for not following "leftist" ideals. I do not recommend you waste your time.
July 7, 2020
Really more like 3.5. There are some really great insights into the subject matter, but the book itself is too dry and academic, and by the end Rectenwald starts to ramble a bit. It feels like the book was rushed to publication. Worth checking out, but you may get more from a long form podcast interview.
March 11, 2021
Do yourself and your children a solid. Vote with your feet while you still are free enough. Get off Facebook, Google and Twitter before they gobble up the rest of your life. There are still some honest alternatives available.
Read this book soon so you can start to defend democracy.
Read this book soon so you can start to defend democracy.
February 8, 2023
Some good points in here that have born out, especially with the reveal of the Twitter files. Feels disjointed at times. Some points could be made quicker and with far more force and focus than with the story telling. Over all this could have been done in half the book, I could not recommend.
April 2, 2020
The cryptic nature of this book was unnecessary and annoying. Just say what you're trying to say, for Pete's sake!
July 20, 2020
Five stars. Great read.
January 17, 2021
Fantastic work that couldn't be more timely. Clear and easy to read, yet profound and well-researched. Must read!!!
June 9, 2025
Very dense, and somewhat terrifying.
August 9, 2020
"The Google Archipelago has emerged and will expand, effectively becoming conterminous with the full range of human activity, enveloping every social space where people may be found."
Having envisioned the future in this short, non-fiction work, retired academic Rectenwald believes technology—Big Tech—is fashioning a digital gulag similar in its zeal for conformity and repression as the brutal 20th Century Soviet model.
Big Tech is defined as mega-data services, media, cable, internet services, social media platforms, Artificial Intelligence, bots and the apps that dot our phones like chicken pox. Given the homogenized political and social nature of Big Tech, the author describes a grim time ahead for those out of favor with their norms.
In the West, deplatforming, brigading, social shaming, ostracism are taking the place of work camps, firing squads and torture. (Though the current Chinese template of cyber control in the form of social scores backed by prison camps and forced organ harvesting seems an unappealing hybrid.)
There are a few sections where I lost the narrative thread, but the author's overall message of society's absorption into the Google blorg is not hard to believe and easily observable in action.
Readers interested in tech trajectories and their effect on freedom of speech, among other menaced freedoms, should find this a suitable companion.
Having envisioned the future in this short, non-fiction work, retired academic Rectenwald believes technology—Big Tech—is fashioning a digital gulag similar in its zeal for conformity and repression as the brutal 20th Century Soviet model.
Big Tech is defined as mega-data services, media, cable, internet services, social media platforms, Artificial Intelligence, bots and the apps that dot our phones like chicken pox. Given the homogenized political and social nature of Big Tech, the author describes a grim time ahead for those out of favor with their norms.
In the West, deplatforming, brigading, social shaming, ostracism are taking the place of work camps, firing squads and torture. (Though the current Chinese template of cyber control in the form of social scores backed by prison camps and forced organ harvesting seems an unappealing hybrid.)
There are a few sections where I lost the narrative thread, but the author's overall message of society's absorption into the Google blorg is not hard to believe and easily observable in action.
Readers interested in tech trajectories and their effect on freedom of speech, among other menaced freedoms, should find this a suitable companion.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews