Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection, Jacob Silverman's incredibly detailed review of social media (by which he means everything from social networks like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter to sharing sites and apps like Uber and Airbnb), is stunning in both its breadth and depth. Silverman offers readers a comprehensive overview, not only of how social media grew to its current level of importance but also how it continues to thrive: namely, by selling user information to advertisers. In this landscape, he argues, users of these social platforms sacrifice privacy in the name of convenience, efficiency and friendship. He explores the myriad ways that Facebook and similar platforms have changed our culture; the growing role of photography in every part of our day-to-day lives; the complex surveillance systems set up to track users across the web; and the relatively new movement against anonymity online.
In the introduction to Terms of Service, Silverman is direct about where his allegiances lie in today's rapidly evolving social landscape: "with those who don't have power, who don't have anything to sell." In other words, the users of social media, not the corporations behind the social media tools we use. Throughout the book, Silverman advocates not for readers to abandon social media altogether but to use each social media tool with the knowledge of the price paid for its use. If you're not paying in dollars, you're likely paying with personal information, and Terms of Service is an important reminder that it doesn't necessarily have to be that way--complete with ideas on how we can push for change. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm