First published 2021
Michael Slaby helped run digital strategy for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. He watched the internet's promise of democratic transformation turn into something else entirely. Tech platforms told users they would get better experiences and deeper connections. Instead, users became inventory in a system designed for profit rather than civic engagement. Slaby witnessed the birth of new political divisions that would fuel the Tea Party, disrupt the 2016 election, and split American society. The internet was built to amplify diverse voices and strengthen democracy. Now it harvests outrage and widens polarization. Slaby identifies four areas where change is possible: platforms, government institutions, corporations, and users themselves. He shows how digital tools meant to connect people instead created the fractures that define modern politics. The book maps a path forward, arguing that users can still reshape technology to serve democratic values rather than corporate profits.
Genres: political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, activism, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, systemic-critique
Period: 21st Century
206 pages · Paperback · Disruption Books