We Are Not Saved Superbloom - Volume 23 in the "Social Media is Awful" Series
Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart
By: Nicholas Carr Published: 2025 272 Pages
Briefly, what is this book about?
On its surface, this is a fairly typical anti-social media book, though Carr does have some interesting things to say about weaknesses inherent to the medium: content collapse, algorithmic engineering, and hostility generation. All things I'll get to in a bit.
What's the author's angle?
Carr comes from the Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman school of media criticism. Media have inherent properties that lead to different sorts of communication, and different strengths and weaknesses. Carr, like many, thinks that social media has some particularly salient weaknesses.
Who should read this book?
When considering whether to read a non-fiction book, one has to consider where it fits with one's various interests. If you're really interested in the negative effects of social media, then I would definitely read this book. If it's one of many interests, but not in your top 5-10, then you can probably skip it.
What does the book have to say about the future?