Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now

By: Jaron Lanier

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now is a timely call-to-arms from a Silicon Valley pioneer.

You might have trouble imagining life without your social media accounts, but virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier insists that we’re better off without them. In his important new audiobook, Lanier, who participates in no social media, offers powerful and personal reasons for all of us to leave these dangerous online platforms behind before it’s too late.

Lanier’s reasons for freeing ourselves from social media’s poisonous grip include its tendency to bring out the worst in us, to make politics terrifying, to trick us with illusions of popularity and success, to twist our relationship with the truth, to disconnect us from other people even as we are more “connected” than ever, to rob us of our free will with relentless targeted ads. How can we remain autonomous in a world where we are under continual surveillance and are constantly being prodded by algorithms run by some of the richest corporations in history that have no way of making money other than being paid to manipulate our behavior? How could the “benefits” of social media possibly outweigh the catastrophic losses to our personal dignity, happiness, and freedom?

Lanier remains a tech optimist, so while demonstrating the evil that rules social media business models today, he also envisions a humanistic setting for social networking that can direct us towards richer and fuller way of living and connecting with our world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Jaron Lanier (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Oliver Wyman brings his full complement of vocalizations to this polemic on social media and what it is doing to us. His cadence and delivery are spot-on...." (AudioFile Magazine)

Great topic, but too much of authors politics.

It's unfortunate that with such an intriguing topic, the author kills his own message with him anti-Trump, anti-conservative messages. Does EVERYTHING a liberal does have to tie in Trump? Jesus, all I wanted was to hear/read about the shadyness of behavior modification as I am detaching as well, but I get 5 hours of political behavior modification.

A good message

Always tough to take advice from a white guy with dreadlocks,, but overall very good message with supportive details. I think everyone should read. Part of it comes off a little bit like the author was just upset that his preferred candidate didn't win the 2016 election, but still provides good points for why social media may have influenced it. Social media has definitely has taken over most people's lives and without a doubt it would be healthy to take a step back and delete your accounts, just for a while at least. Don't freak out, but Google is watching you 🧐

Very Educational!

loved it! finished it very quickly. everyone should listen, especially if you have kiddos!! enjoy

If you can handle the truth, this is for you.

If you can handle the truth, this is for you. It's an eerie and unsettling truth. but thankfully it's easy to take action to alleviate it.

Wow... wow... WOW. A MUST listen/read for everyone

As a Technologist myself, I’ve seen personally how social media and it’s algorithms can destroy lifelong friendships and even my own marriage. This is the first book I’ve come across that coherently and very effectively describes all the main challenges and the damage social media platforms are causing our society simply because of s faulty business model. I strongly suggest anyone with a social media account of any type read or listen to this book before carrying on in their online life. Lastly, I would like the author, Jaron Lanier, for taking the time to publish this amazing piece of work. I agree with you on all points and thank you for your contribution to helping make our world a better place.

Too much political views

Good topic, but same same ol’ politics bashing (although I agree) made it distracting. Had to make myself finish it.

Hard to hear but I wish I heard it sooner

I have disliked who I’ve become while using Facebook and eventually gave it up with no reluctance. However I am on Instagram and despite a handful of grievances I have mostly enjoyed the experience, it has not made me feel like garbage which is not the case for Facebook personally.

However, a combination of the mechanical coldness described in this book and the sober heartlessness cautiously executed daily by companies like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Google (probably others) has given me serious doubt of the worthiness an Instagram account has in my life.

Friends of mine recommended Lanier to me and this was the first book I’ve read by him and I wish I read it sooner. If it doesn’t make me leave social media it will definitely make me reconsider what an account with one of these companies costs me personally.

I hope we can all unfuck ourselves.

I found this book on social media.

That social media are profiting by selling us out is an understatement, and that for one man to have control over all these accounts is a power that corrupts.

Read this Book

If you are on Facebook, Twitter or any of the other social network you should lesson to this book.

Must read for parents, politicians, teachers, all.

If you wonder what's going wrong with people, why suddenly we are loosing our freedom of speech, extremist groups are taking the streets causing public and private property damage, hurting others, or why politicians agenda is dictated by social media, why assholes and haters are getting more power, why nobody is being honest with themselves in order to fit standards determined by social media, etc, you may find some answers here. For example, you will learn that people is not really perceiving the reality as it is but perceiving it as it is painted by social media, more precisely by algorithms which are trying to catch their attention for commercial purposes. Is the bussiness model of B.U.M.M.E.R. whose collateral effects are or may be social disruption, suicides, murders, end of democracy, and probably Hell on Earth in a not that far future. Please don't let your children, family members, your students, and you! to fall in the B.U.M.M.E.R. game. This book gives you good reasons to quit social media now! if their business model is not succesful, or if regulations are imposed, then they will have to change their business model. There is hope! Read this book, it will be good for you!