Sent from my iPhone

Readers, a quick confession: I have not been entirely faithful. I am also writing -- gulp, inhale -- ANOTHER newsletter. As regular readers of this email know, I am sort of obsessed with the idea that tech cos like have so much control over the information we receive. And I mean, in light of the latest Facebook Trending shenanigans, we had to do/write something.

So! For a limited time only, my colleague Abby O and I are writing a daily digest that tracks how Twitter, Google and Facebook represent the news each day. It's a little in the weeds, but you know -- sometimes that's okay! If you would like to get in the weeds with us, you can sign up on this page. (If not, you know I love you, right? That will never change. 😘)

... whether you want it to or not (link)

1. Silicon Valley is really selling an ideology. It's not about computers or gadgets or stuff -- it's a vision of freedom through technology. The problem, of course, is that 20 years in, most of us don't feel super "free."

2. What our cities will look like when Uber dominates public transit. For some, the service is a godsend; for others, it's a menace. In Altamonte, Fla., a partnership between Uber and local government has made it way faster to get around without owning a vehicle. (Unless you're handicapped, elderly or offline, of course, and stuck riding the bus with other left-behind people.)

3. How Chuck Tingle beat his trolls (and helped others do the same). The absurdist erotica writer was nominated for a Hugo as part of an antagonistic, anti-"SJW" trolling game. Once he had the platform, however, Tingle used it to promote diversity in science fiction. Which is exactly what his trolls didn't like, to begin with (!).

4. Should I be proud of the fact that I recognize roughly none of these "celebrities"...? They're the new class of social media stars: bloggers and vloggers and wannabes. And this emerging "Z list," as Amanda Hess calls it, has grown into quite an industry.

5. Re-reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as a subtle critique of modern technology. Progress is inevitable, Wonka suggests -- but comes with a level of moral ambiguity.

>> You can download these links (and several others!) as a free ebook here.

how...? (link)

Postscripts: The millennial whoop. The Internet IRL. We live in a paranoid's personal hell. On the downfall of online communities and the Internet lives of our teens. Influencer Barbie knows to disclose her damn ads, at least. This is an app that keeps your secrets. This is every Facebook friendship video. Honestly had no idea people were still hung up on signing 'Sent from my iPhone.'" How to fake your death in the digital age; how to survive on Mars. Not sure I can spare TOO much sympathy the social labors of pop stars.

In praise of the printed book. Knitting as a salve for digital distraction. The 10 most-hated Reddit posts of all time and the problem with tech solutionism. "A RUTHLESS NEW CHAPTER IN THE TEEN PHOTO WARS" --> automatic click. If there is anything new under the sun, then Facebook will steal it. The quest to kill the password and the ethics of AI. Think gaming isn't diverse now? Just talk to this guy.

Until next week!
@caitlindewey

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