The Internet Is Not the Answer.

Keen (Digital Vertigo; The Cult of the Amateur) argues that todayís Internet business models have harmed society by ushering in a vastly unequal distribution of economic power and value. He contrasts the industryís early yearsóa result of government and academic research and featuring a lack of monetizationówith its ìdisruptiveî recent incarnation. He declares that the Internet became monetizedóand detrimental to most of societyóstarting in the 1990s, roughly with the rise of the modern web browser and companies such as Amazon and eBay (ìWeb 1.0î). Today, Keen argues, users provide content to sites including Facebook and Instagram free of charge, while the companies sell our data to make billions of dollars for their handful of executives. These technology companies also have few employees compared to businesses that were subject to the models of the past. Keen acknowledges that the modern Internet is not all bad, but insists it can do better. He argues for more oversight and laws, such as Franceís ìanti-Amazonî law that prohibits free shipping on discounted books. A well-written work, though topics sometimes appear disjointed.