Tech Panic

or, 2023 Book Review #1

I didn’t read enough last year. Actually, between January and June I read a lot. Then we had another child and I don’t think I finished a book between that day and the end of the year. So this year I’m going to attack the absolutely gargantuan To Read stack I’ve accumulated. And given the positive response in the chat, we’re doing it live and I’m going to review them as we go.

First up for 2023 was an audiobook actually, Tech Panic, by Reason editor and Robby Soave. As I wrap up my garden leave after my short-lived dalliance with the tech industry I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about social media and the broader tech space, so I figured this would be a book that would help me examine my experience and focus some thoughts.

It absolutely provided some interesting lenses to examine my time in tech, but I admit I am still very much of two minds about the experience — and I think the author fairly depicts the fact that there are competing ideas about speech and regulation that define social media, and he spends a good amount of time providing the reader with a history of U.S. legislation around media and the internet that should be useful to any social media user.

Soave manages to draw the two sides of the debate into relief without putting his finger on the scale too often. On one side, he describes the free speech absolutists that demand the right to say whatever they want on a platform that has carefully defined terms and conditions — the undergrad Libertarians, if you will. Even in the U.S. this is untenable, and when you consider that most social media is global you quickly realize how absurd the idea of an unregulated platform is. Even Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s own cries for free speech were quickly tempered by reality (particularly the legal risk part of reality) when he took over his newest acquisition. Legal regimes governing social media are legion, and they differ wildly between countries and regional blocs.

On the other side, the author describes the pro-moderation camp, and I think he navigates this pretty well. He gives a strong case for a light touch moderation approach, one which might help social media organizations keep their distance from the culture wars. He also uses that space to highlight how most of the politicians whining about being “censored” are really not being interfered with at all, which I enjoyed (because those people are insufferable).

I know this is mostly a Navy-focused Substack, so I should make at least a token effort to tie these two things together. Perhaps this book would be useful for helping defense leaders, especially those GenX and above, adjust their perceptions of social media and the opportunities and challenges it presents. I’ve gone on record before to address senior leaders’ fear of social media and lack of effective engagement there, but political polarization and politicization of the military have likely only made leaders less likely to use social media given the potential consequences. Put simply, social media isn’t going to get you promoted in the military, but it can definitely get you fired. The US Army’s investigation of MG Pat Donahoe last year is probably one of the better known instances of social media landing leaders in hot water, but it also highlights that military services aren’t quite sure how to approach regulating their members’ use of technology.

Ultimately, I think the most important message you can take away from this book is that most people actively working on the problems facing tech and social media are constantly balancing competing ideas in their minds, and are often blazing new trails in a space that is constantly shifting. Strict orthodoxy in commentary surrounding the grey areas in tech and social media should always be suspect - this is really complicated stuff. It’s a solid book and one that I think is worth reading even if you don’t use social media much, because you should have an idea of how these platforms shape your world even if you aren’t a participant.

Anyway, stay tuned - next up is Chris Miller’s “Chip War.”

7.48/10