Book Review: Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart by Nicholas Carr

This review was first published by Booklist on January 1, 2025.

**STARRED REVIEW** Carr (The Shallows, 2010) does a deep dive into the history of social media and examines the damage it’s doing to modern society. Our craze for communications technology began with the invention of the telegraph, when people predicted that our expanded ability to communicate would put an end to wars. This echoes language we hear today from tech moguls who believe social-media platforms will bring about unprecedented freedom and democratic ideals. But it never turns out that way. Carr considers what we know about human communication and psychology and argues that modern social media is ideally suited to increase intolerance, anxiety, and factionalism. Turns out, more communication isn’t automatically better. Quality matters more than quantity; efficiency is anathema to deep understanding. He examines the history of how governments have regulated communication media over the years and the ramifications of deregulating both news media and the internet. We sacrificed accountability to the public good for the sake of innovation and convenience. Far from empowering all people, social media has accelerated the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of only a few. As always, Carr’s perspective is urgent and bracing, a necessary challenge to idealistic visions of a democratic internet.