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Digital Vegan
Are you tired of being spied on, manipulated and mistreated by technology that was supposed to make your life better? Are you dependent on devices and apps you wish you could live without?
Social media and smartphone surveillance make us sick and unhappy, but what can we do? This book will help you find remedies for digital disorders, reduce dependency and anxiety by making better technology choices.
Just as the food we eat affects our bodily health, technology affects mental health and society. For the sake of yourself, your community and our planet, learn to avoid toxic hardware, software and media in your digital diet.
Social media and smartphone surveillance make us sick and unhappy, but what can we do? This book will help you find remedies for digital disorders, reduce dependency and anxiety by making better technology choices.
Just as the food we eat affects our bodily health, technology affects mental health and society. For the sake of yourself, your community and our planet, learn to avoid toxic hardware, software and media in your digital diet.
211 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2021
6 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 3, 2025
A book about our relationship with technology. It promotes a deliberate use of technology, avoiding "toxic"/unethical products, similar in ways to veganism. In the words of the author, “[This book] is a call to disengagement and more careful, slower, deliberate and thoughtful relationships with technology”, p. 137.
The book reflects on themes such as Authoritarianism, Surveillance Capitalism, Psychological damage of technology, Public Opinion on tech usage and Big Tech's Public opinion manipulation. Smaller themes are Education and the Ecological impact.
The author, Dr. Andy Farnell, is a professor of signals and systems. He also teaches cybersecurity and digital self-defense as part of his activism.
Dr. Farnell has done his homework in reading the classics of philosophy. He is a man on a mission, driven by the desire to improve the world and rebel against big tech and the appropriation of technology. He struggles for a better world, and he refers that “[Ancient] Greeks and Buddhists [think that] (…) an end to struggle is death”, p. 126.
This passion sometimes materializes as ramblings about the dominating class, some doormerism (“The torch lit under the libertarian capitalism order of Silicon Valey has now been taken up by the technofascist regime of China” , p. 94, “I don’t desire a world entirely without smartphones and social media, I just don’t want them to be unabashed tools of tyranny. The death of reason and democracy is not a price I am prepared to pay for convenience or the profits of a minority”, p. 96), and occasionally unsourced claims ("Therapists and doctors are increasingly asking patients not just to switch off their phones, but to leave them outside the room" p. 145).
Other times, in domains where Dr. Farnell is an expert such as computer protocols and communication technologies, his insights can be mind-opening (“How do I copy a video from Whatsapp to Zoom? - the kind of problems that should have been solved once and for in 1990 by standards bodies.” p.82). It may seem that complaining about copying a video from Whatsapp and Zoom is not level with technofascism, but it is the lack of interoperability between technologies, which we disregarded on the XXI century, that lead to the rise of almost inescapable walled gardens. Big Tech and surveillance implemented by these platforms that can in turn help technofascism raise. So in a way, the solution is not very complex, we just need to move on from these platforms that abuse their users and look at technology that helps us, not imprisons us - before they became mandatory. The author goes all the way to say “[Big Tech] still offers nothing that cannot be found in a dozen Free Software repositories and set up on a private server in ten minutes” p. 50.
Something that I enjoy about this book is that despite raising all these issues, the book is optimistic and proposes a fair amount of solutions, galvanizing almost. It contains chapters on resources and actions, as well as responses to critiques ("Objections" chapter).
While the author does not use a smartphone because he deems that technology as toxic, they promote the use of technology, but only technology that you know and trust. Not technology that will spy on you and try to sell you something. Their take on luddites is also great ( “Am I a Luddite? Or is it maybe that our ideas of ‘technology and progress ‘are, and how people can use technology, are different? (…) In fact, as many vegans love food, I love technology”, p. 106).
For me personally, it took longer than I expected to go through the book. Sometimes it feels a bit scrappy, and you get a "oh no, here we go again" feeling, as Dr. Farnell throws yet another jab at the status quo and big tech. Other times it is so rich with ideas that I have to stop and start to take notes and imagine applications on this or that. What better feeling than a book that makes you think?
Regarding the status quo, one of the critiques that Dr. Farnell makes is that discussion about technology, even within tech nerds, the discussion is mostly industry gossip. This take “Those of us who work on IT (…) have a special responsibility to stop the doomsday machine” (p. 82) deeply resonates with me.
The author shows disillusionment towards our relationship with technology in the XXI century, the lack of accountability for those violating privacy rights and a general dissatisfaction with surveillance, both from corporations (Surveillance Capitalism) and states (as Edward Snowden showed us - and payed with his exile). The author at some point states that the only thing worse than a corporation that knows everything about you is a state. Efficiency, and therefore profit (and growth) is the only argument for the current trajectory (a bit vague what is understood by trajectory). On the short term another argument is posed, comfort.
The author is also aware of the challenges of such a lifestyle, and he reflects on the difficulties of keeping motivated to make a change as well as the relational impacts that such green choices have on the ones around it - and how it can sound "preachy". I appreciate the good reflection that he makes on habit forming and the resilience that it requires.
Do I recommend it to my friends? It's complicated. It's definitely not the book that will sway the masses with a clear message that I wish it was (at some point, about the first chapters, I described it as "a series of political pamphlets glued back-to-back") . However, it undeniably has juice to it, and you will definitely became more critical of technology once you read it. If you like the topic, please go ahead and read it. If you are looking more towards the digital-detox practice, maybe "Digital Minimalism" from Cal Newport or "How to Calm Your Mind" from Chris Bailey are better reads.
The book reflects on themes such as Authoritarianism, Surveillance Capitalism, Psychological damage of technology, Public Opinion on tech usage and Big Tech's Public opinion manipulation. Smaller themes are Education and the Ecological impact.
The author, Dr. Andy Farnell, is a professor of signals and systems. He also teaches cybersecurity and digital self-defense as part of his activism.
Dr. Farnell has done his homework in reading the classics of philosophy. He is a man on a mission, driven by the desire to improve the world and rebel against big tech and the appropriation of technology. He struggles for a better world, and he refers that “[Ancient] Greeks and Buddhists [think that] (…) an end to struggle is death”, p. 126.
This passion sometimes materializes as ramblings about the dominating class, some doormerism (“The torch lit under the libertarian capitalism order of Silicon Valey has now been taken up by the technofascist regime of China” , p. 94, “I don’t desire a world entirely without smartphones and social media, I just don’t want them to be unabashed tools of tyranny. The death of reason and democracy is not a price I am prepared to pay for convenience or the profits of a minority”, p. 96), and occasionally unsourced claims ("Therapists and doctors are increasingly asking patients not just to switch off their phones, but to leave them outside the room" p. 145).
Other times, in domains where Dr. Farnell is an expert such as computer protocols and communication technologies, his insights can be mind-opening (“How do I copy a video from Whatsapp to Zoom? - the kind of problems that should have been solved once and for in 1990 by standards bodies.” p.82). It may seem that complaining about copying a video from Whatsapp and Zoom is not level with technofascism, but it is the lack of interoperability between technologies, which we disregarded on the XXI century, that lead to the rise of almost inescapable walled gardens. Big Tech and surveillance implemented by these platforms that can in turn help technofascism raise. So in a way, the solution is not very complex, we just need to move on from these platforms that abuse their users and look at technology that helps us, not imprisons us - before they became mandatory. The author goes all the way to say “[Big Tech] still offers nothing that cannot be found in a dozen Free Software repositories and set up on a private server in ten minutes” p. 50.
Something that I enjoy about this book is that despite raising all these issues, the book is optimistic and proposes a fair amount of solutions, galvanizing almost. It contains chapters on resources and actions, as well as responses to critiques ("Objections" chapter).
While the author does not use a smartphone because he deems that technology as toxic, they promote the use of technology, but only technology that you know and trust. Not technology that will spy on you and try to sell you something. Their take on luddites is also great ( “Am I a Luddite? Or is it maybe that our ideas of ‘technology and progress ‘are, and how people can use technology, are different? (…) In fact, as many vegans love food, I love technology”, p. 106).
For me personally, it took longer than I expected to go through the book. Sometimes it feels a bit scrappy, and you get a "oh no, here we go again" feeling, as Dr. Farnell throws yet another jab at the status quo and big tech. Other times it is so rich with ideas that I have to stop and start to take notes and imagine applications on this or that. What better feeling than a book that makes you think?
Regarding the status quo, one of the critiques that Dr. Farnell makes is that discussion about technology, even within tech nerds, the discussion is mostly industry gossip. This take “Those of us who work on IT (…) have a special responsibility to stop the doomsday machine” (p. 82) deeply resonates with me.
The author shows disillusionment towards our relationship with technology in the XXI century, the lack of accountability for those violating privacy rights and a general dissatisfaction with surveillance, both from corporations (Surveillance Capitalism) and states (as Edward Snowden showed us - and payed with his exile). The author at some point states that the only thing worse than a corporation that knows everything about you is a state. Efficiency, and therefore profit (and growth) is the only argument for the current trajectory (a bit vague what is understood by trajectory). On the short term another argument is posed, comfort.
The author is also aware of the challenges of such a lifestyle, and he reflects on the difficulties of keeping motivated to make a change as well as the relational impacts that such green choices have on the ones around it - and how it can sound "preachy". I appreciate the good reflection that he makes on habit forming and the resilience that it requires.
Do I recommend it to my friends? It's complicated. It's definitely not the book that will sway the masses with a clear message that I wish it was (at some point, about the first chapters, I described it as "a series of political pamphlets glued back-to-back") . However, it undeniably has juice to it, and you will definitely became more critical of technology once you read it. If you like the topic, please go ahead and read it. If you are looking more towards the digital-detox practice, maybe "Digital Minimalism" from Cal Newport or "How to Calm Your Mind" from Chris Bailey are better reads.
August 30, 2021
Andy Farnell’s Digital Vegan is a real wakeup call to those of us (a.k.a. all of us) whose lives are increasingly oriented around social media and smartphones. The book paints a vivid picture of the technological hellscape we have willingly built for ourselves, while also reminding us in a friendly tone that another world is possible. While the main focus of the book is the political domination won in recent years by tech-giants, and the corresponding erosion of personal privacy and freedom, the scope of book is unexpectedly large, with chapters devoted to topics such as cyber bullying, e-waste, and the right to repair. As another measure of its breadth, the bibliography is truly impressive, spanning authors from across centuries, continents and disciplines (from Rachel Carson to Alexis de Tocqueville).
It is rare to find an author who is so well versed both in classical political theory and in modern cyber-security, and it is the combination of these two projects which is arguably the most compelling aspect of Digital Vegan. It takes the author the first half of the book to fully admit his love of philosophy, but once he finally owns it, the results are a series of highly engaging essays on identity, ethics and freedom. For me these chapters are the highlights of the book, and seem twice as accessible but just as well informed as any contemporary academic writings on the same matter.
On the question of philosophy, perhaps the book would have benefited from a slightly less didactic approach. The author sees it as his role to convince the reader just how bad technology has become, and while the examples he points to are indeed alarming, some might be left wondering if he is overstating the matter. While the warning that surveillance capitalism opens the door to exploitation is indeed urgent, it seems simultaneously true that the internet has played a hand in freedom and resistance movements around the world (for instance #MeToo or in the Arab Spring). Likewise, parts of Digital Vegan fit the form of a declension narrative, lamenting the fall of computer users from hackers and C programmers to facebook addicts and conspiracy theorists. While this trajectory is indeed striking, there are other ways of looking at it. Younger people seem better informed about social and political issues than ever before, and we would do well to remember that previous generations managed to conjure up totalitarian regimes without the help of facebook algorithms, data collection, or any of the other digital dark arts.
I am not saying this to pick a fight with the author (a fight I would certainly lose), but rather to raise the possibility of a more dialectic approach to digital veganism. The internet has transformed communication and human life more than any other invention since the printing press: Is this a good thing or is it bad? A definitive answer would surely be too reductive, and instead we must grapple with the contradictions of living in an age where the instruments of our liberation and those of our enslavement are one and the same thing.
I am a bit ashamed to say that I still haven’t thrown away my smartphone or deactivated my facebook account since finishing Digital Vegan. But the book did penetrate deeper than other similar narratives (for instance Edward Snowden or Tristan Harris), and it has certainly left me pondering revolutionary deeds. It is an extremely valuable resource for those interested in technology, philosophy and society, and I will be recommending it to friends and students at every opportunity.
It is rare to find an author who is so well versed both in classical political theory and in modern cyber-security, and it is the combination of these two projects which is arguably the most compelling aspect of Digital Vegan. It takes the author the first half of the book to fully admit his love of philosophy, but once he finally owns it, the results are a series of highly engaging essays on identity, ethics and freedom. For me these chapters are the highlights of the book, and seem twice as accessible but just as well informed as any contemporary academic writings on the same matter.
On the question of philosophy, perhaps the book would have benefited from a slightly less didactic approach. The author sees it as his role to convince the reader just how bad technology has become, and while the examples he points to are indeed alarming, some might be left wondering if he is overstating the matter. While the warning that surveillance capitalism opens the door to exploitation is indeed urgent, it seems simultaneously true that the internet has played a hand in freedom and resistance movements around the world (for instance #MeToo or in the Arab Spring). Likewise, parts of Digital Vegan fit the form of a declension narrative, lamenting the fall of computer users from hackers and C programmers to facebook addicts and conspiracy theorists. While this trajectory is indeed striking, there are other ways of looking at it. Younger people seem better informed about social and political issues than ever before, and we would do well to remember that previous generations managed to conjure up totalitarian regimes without the help of facebook algorithms, data collection, or any of the other digital dark arts.
I am not saying this to pick a fight with the author (a fight I would certainly lose), but rather to raise the possibility of a more dialectic approach to digital veganism. The internet has transformed communication and human life more than any other invention since the printing press: Is this a good thing or is it bad? A definitive answer would surely be too reductive, and instead we must grapple with the contradictions of living in an age where the instruments of our liberation and those of our enslavement are one and the same thing.
I am a bit ashamed to say that I still haven’t thrown away my smartphone or deactivated my facebook account since finishing Digital Vegan. But the book did penetrate deeper than other similar narratives (for instance Edward Snowden or Tristan Harris), and it has certainly left me pondering revolutionary deeds. It is an extremely valuable resource for those interested in technology, philosophy and society, and I will be recommending it to friends and students at every opportunity.
July 27, 2021
Interesting, informative and very topical - a must read book for the 21st century
August 3, 2022
Some good ideas scattered through the book. As someone who spends a lot of time online it was good to use this book as an opportunity to reflect on the choices I make in the digital realm. As far as the content of the book goes I found the author to be probably more aggressive than he needed to be, which did detract from my enjoyment of the book.
June 20, 2022
This is a future classic book. The author has a strong background on classical political theory and in modern cyber-security. I'm sure if he would do predictions on marketplaces like metaculus he would do well.
Yet, this book will not sell well, which is sad. I have recommended it to perhaps 20 people. Never heard back from anyone saying "I read it, it was great." The book asks the reader to do too much and forces to reckon that your day to day decisions wrt technology are morally repugnant.
I love the book, it was perhaps the most impactful thing I've read in the last year. I've moved my company to self-hosted software and I'm happy I did. I'm pretty much off social networks for entertainment. Yet I do suspect marketing will suffer for my company if I'm a strict 'digital vegan.' I don't know a way out of this conundrum: I believe 'distraction economy' is damaging humanity, but I fear if I don't join in, all my competitors with no qualms to publish bullshit and kidnap your attention will drive me out of the market.
This is why I think this book will not do well, unfortunately. Being a digital vegan is far harder than being a vegan (I was one for 2.5 years; which I now think was a bad idea).
Also, tying these ideas to a fad like veganism (that people will inevitably ignore! And I live in Berin, a city where veganism is in full force!) will damage the perception of the book. Willingness to buy is lower if the second word in the title is something people have negative feelings about. Very few people in 2022 will identify as vegan, and for those who don't, the word is slightly negative. It reminds them of self-righteous, judgy people.
In a way, being a digital vegan gives you the right to judge others who... wait for it... use a smartphone (!). I truly hope judgmental people who find the book don't adopt it just to gain this new high moral ground :)
Yet, this book will not sell well, which is sad. I have recommended it to perhaps 20 people. Never heard back from anyone saying "I read it, it was great." The book asks the reader to do too much and forces to reckon that your day to day decisions wrt technology are morally repugnant.
I love the book, it was perhaps the most impactful thing I've read in the last year. I've moved my company to self-hosted software and I'm happy I did. I'm pretty much off social networks for entertainment. Yet I do suspect marketing will suffer for my company if I'm a strict 'digital vegan.' I don't know a way out of this conundrum: I believe 'distraction economy' is damaging humanity, but I fear if I don't join in, all my competitors with no qualms to publish bullshit and kidnap your attention will drive me out of the market.
This is why I think this book will not do well, unfortunately. Being a digital vegan is far harder than being a vegan (I was one for 2.5 years; which I now think was a bad idea).
Also, tying these ideas to a fad like veganism (that people will inevitably ignore! And I live in Berin, a city where veganism is in full force!) will damage the perception of the book. Willingness to buy is lower if the second word in the title is something people have negative feelings about. Very few people in 2022 will identify as vegan, and for those who don't, the word is slightly negative. It reminds them of self-righteous, judgy people.
In a way, being a digital vegan gives you the right to judge others who... wait for it... use a smartphone (!). I truly hope judgmental people who find the book don't adopt it just to gain this new high moral ground :)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews