with far more drawbacks than benefits
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2025 12:12 pm
In other words, use more and different sources than just Google, Facebook, and Nu.nl. Read a newspaper, even if only the weekend edition or only online, and a decent one at that: NRC Handelsblad, Het Financieele Dagblad, de Volkskrant, and Trouw are generally called " quality newspapers ." Is that news neutral? No, because neutral journalism doesn't exist. But it is better than the manipulative content from the preferred bubbles of online platforms.
"When a new product or technology comes to market, we should be skeptical. It's important to understand the drivers behind new products and be selective about their adoption."
So don't just rush to the store for that new Google Home, and don't just connect a smart telegram data TV to your network. Ask yourself if you want a commercial company constantly listening to everything you say. And: "We should be particularly skeptical of artificial intelligence. As implemented by internet platforms, AI is a behavioral manipulation technology
Apple or Android?
The author further indicates that he uses Apple devices instead of Android products. (Although I would add that Apple isn't innocent either.) This is primarily due to the way Apple products and services handle user data. For example, certain data is stored on the device itself and not in the (Apple-managed) cloud.
Choose other software
Finally, McNamee offers some practical suggestions regarding software alternatives. Use Safari or Firefox instead of Chrome. Don't save passwords in your browser; instead, choose a solution like 1Password.
I'd like to add that you might not always need to be logged in to Facebook and Google if you want (or need) to keep using them. And also consider a privacy-conscious alternative search engine like Duck Duck Go.
Zucked is a challenging read. McNamee covers the sometimes complex subject matter in great detail. Much of what he says has a significant impact. This makes it not a book you can finish in a single afternoon. But it is, in a sense, a page-turner and well worth reading. It makes you more aware of how Facebook, Google, and other tech giants became so successful, what this means for privacy, mental health, democracy, and the economy, and how you can address this as an individual and as a society.
"When a new product or technology comes to market, we should be skeptical. It's important to understand the drivers behind new products and be selective about their adoption."
So don't just rush to the store for that new Google Home, and don't just connect a smart telegram data TV to your network. Ask yourself if you want a commercial company constantly listening to everything you say. And: "We should be particularly skeptical of artificial intelligence. As implemented by internet platforms, AI is a behavioral manipulation technology
Apple or Android?
The author further indicates that he uses Apple devices instead of Android products. (Although I would add that Apple isn't innocent either.) This is primarily due to the way Apple products and services handle user data. For example, certain data is stored on the device itself and not in the (Apple-managed) cloud.
Choose other software
Finally, McNamee offers some practical suggestions regarding software alternatives. Use Safari or Firefox instead of Chrome. Don't save passwords in your browser; instead, choose a solution like 1Password.
I'd like to add that you might not always need to be logged in to Facebook and Google if you want (or need) to keep using them. And also consider a privacy-conscious alternative search engine like Duck Duck Go.
Zucked is a challenging read. McNamee covers the sometimes complex subject matter in great detail. Much of what he says has a significant impact. This makes it not a book you can finish in a single afternoon. But it is, in a sense, a page-turner and well worth reading. It makes you more aware of how Facebook, Google, and other tech giants became so successful, what this means for privacy, mental health, democracy, and the economy, and how you can address this as an individual and as a society.