Mash Up, by Joe Klingler (REVIEW) — Shenanigans in Silicon Valley
A huge part of being alive in the twenty-first century involves—for good or ill—the internet. Unless you’re a troglodyte or just doing your damnedest to stay “off the grid”, it’s almost impossible to avoid being online at least some portion of most days. But being virtually connected goes a lot deeper than your daily doomscrolling (or adorable kitten clips, how-to-whatever videos, DoorDash-dining-orders, etc.). Because unless you opt out of those optional cookies on every website you visit (news, info, shopping, porn, whatever ), your visit will be tracked. It seems innocent enough, doesn’t it? If Site A notices that you repeatedly visit to look at sneakers, you’re absolutely going to be deluged by notifications about other sneakers, and when something you’ve looked at previously goes on sale or comes back in stock. That can be helpful(ish)... albeit also kinda creepy. The bigger problem is that small access into your life can explode into som...