Sad by Design: On Platform Nihilism

We live in a time of engineered intimacy, toxic memes and online addiction. Can we ever break free?

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 20 May 2019
Publisher: Pluto Press

Sadness has evolved into a design issue, with social media platforms encoding the peaks and valleys of melancholy. Despite the endless clicking, browsing, swiping, and liking, the aftermath is a flat and empty void, reflecting the time lost to these apps.

Sad by Design delves into the escalating social media controversies, including fake news, toxic viral memes, and online addiction. The pursuit of a grand design has yielded depoliticized internet studies, unable to provide radical critique or explore alternatives. Geert Lovink urges us to embrace the engineered intimacy of social media, messenger apps, and selfies, recognizing boredom as the initial step towards overcoming platform nihilism. Once the haze clears, we can organize to disrupt the data extraction industries at their core.

This book offers a thought-provoking exploration of the intersection of technology, society, and emotion, challenging readers to reevaluate our relationship with these platforms and the impact they have on our mental well-being. By examining the design choices that contribute to sadness, Sad by Design provides valuable insights into the potential for positive change and a more ethical and sustainable digital landscape.

Weight: 252g
Dimension: 215 x 131 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780745339344