The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World, Max Fisher

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A lot of us who are perpetually online have likely considered at some point that we should have something of a digital detox, that perhaps being constantly glued to our smartphones isn’t good for our physical or mental health, or for the relationships we have with people in the same room as us. There is a lot of sense in this, but reading Fisher’s book highlights that this is so much more than an individual problem, that social media has impacted people’s lives in ways unimaginable when it first popped up. This is a book which calls for systemic, international change in the ways social media is run and how it is legislated. 

At the heart of the problem seems to be the algorithms which drive engagemen,. The aim of the companies is to keep you using their services, to watch more videos, comment on more posts etc. As a result, the most inflammatory posts are promoted the most as they are most likely to encourage engagement. People searching for information about vaccines will more often than not be shown posts arguing against their efficacy. These posts will keep users online, reading and watching more on the topic than promoting pages where people agree that vaccines are a force for good, which don’t encourage ongoing engagement. YouTube, the pioneer of this type of algorithm, experimented with suggesting radicalising videos to those who had never searched for related content. For those that do have a passing interest in less extreme versions of topics, within a few clicks they are likely to be shown videos promoting extreme positions. If you allow the site to play videos unchecked it quickly becomes clear how an innocent search can quickly turn dark. The impacts of this are very real.

Social media has been shown to play an important role in political opinions, and even in creating radical groups who go out and do harm in the world. An independent audit of Facebook in 2020 concluded that its policies allowing misinformation could undermine elections, and that its algorithms and recommendations push people into echo chambers of extremism, training them to hate. Studies have also shown the very real part social media played in genocide in Rwanda and violence and riots in Sri Lanka. When warned about the unintended outcomes of the way their services are run, for the most part, the companies did nothing to prevent further harm. It seemed that it was only when it would harm their business were they willing to act.

These radicalising algorithms combined with the addictive quality of our smartphones and specifically social media lead to a dangerous, volatile world. The way we are manipulated by these systems are likened to gambling addiction and abusive behaviours. Never knowing how much engagement we’ll get from a post makes us want to keep posting, forgetting that social media is an intermediary, who the algorithm decides to show your content to has much more to do with the reaction you get to it than what you’ve actually posted. Studies have shown that even relatively short breaks from social media can increase happiness levels and decrease anxiety, yet we have been trained into an addiction that keeps us acting against our own best interests.

Fisher acknowledges that in the early days of social media there was the possibility of people finding a sense of community and understanding, connecting people with similar experiences. However, the lack of regulation and the constant push to increase engagement meant that what once felt like a support group so often turns into hate groups, blaming others for members’ perceived suffering and injustices. Pile ons happen regularly, with the distance provided by your screen helping users to forget that the person on the receiving end is real and will have negative emotional reactions to what is being said to them. It has gone much further than this however, with death and assault threats common, people sharing the victim’s addresses and other personal details, encouraging others to carry out the threats that appear online. Lives have been ruined in this way, with victims having to leave jobs and move away from their loved ones for fear that they will also become unsafe. This can happen whether or not the victim is actually guilty of the perceived indiscretion. 

This is an enlightening, terrifying read which reveals just how dark large sections of the internet are, and how this content is now part of the mainstream. You don’t have to go looking for it, the algorithm will deliver it to you. This has been shown to create groups of radicals where participants had previously not felt hard done by or indeed even cared about the issue that they become inflamed by through manipulation. It is genuinely worrying to see how much social media has negatively impacted the world around us, that people have lost their lives for the sake of watch time and engagement targets. As someone who has mercifully managed to stay in the more positive realms of the online world, it was shocking to discover how far reaching the inflammatory aspects are, how easily anyone can stumble upon radicalising content, and how this is manifesting offline. A difficult, anxiety inducing read, but an important one. 

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Landlines, Raynor Winn

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We catch up with Moth and Raynor in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic on their thriving farm in Cornwall. Moth’s health is as bad as it's ever been as he struggles to walk short distances and has a fall that makes them worry his decline is reaching the point of no return. Raynor can’t help but hold on to the hope that their previous long distance walks gave her. Wracked with guilt, she broaches the topic of another one. When the state of the world allows it, they head north to tackle the Cape Wrath trail, famously one of the toughest, wildest walks the UK has to offer, and one Moth has always dreamed of. The fear that she’s pushing him too far, doctor’s words about not doing anything too strenuous circling her mind at every sign of difficulty. Moth has lost the confidence of his stride and developed a vertigo that makes scrambling up the sides of mountains a real challenge. As they battle bad weather, closed cafes, and communities that are suspicious of any outsiders, will their longest walk yet give them the miracle they’re dreaming of?

As they wind their way through the wilds of Scotland, Wynn reflects on the challenges of the communities they pass through. Many cafes won’t let them inside for fear of Covid, shops are bare of supplies because stock is held up at the ports in Brexit bureaucracy, and the landscapes are frequently devoid of the wildlife that should be there. She talks about the overfarming of land and how it is stripping away the goodness of the soil, losing the insects that signify a healthy ecosystem. Their own land in Cornwall has flourished with their gentler approach, with wildlife re-emerging. She often comments on the climate emergency and the role humans have and continue to play in it. 

The remote northern reaches of Scotland, once quiet communities, have become overrun since the North Coast 500 route was formalised. Now cars and campers line every spare section of road, parking dangerously and harmfully to local residents. They nonetheless find solitude in much of their walk as they move away from the well-trodden paths and roads, finding their own way. By the time they reach Fort William and the popular West Highland Way, the number of walkers make it feel busy compared to the emptiness of the landscapes they’ve traversed to get there. Along the way they have encounters with animals and birds, some of which they haven’t seen for a long time. When times are good the joy and peace of nature shines through.

Winn doesn’t shy away from the difficulties. Of course, they have Moth’s declining health to contend with, but there’s also the relentless rain, dwindling supplies between far flung shops, and the continual challenge of finding somewhere to camp. There are times when it all feels too difficult and they consider turning back, getting a bus to the closest town and taking a train home, but the call of nature is strong, as is their dedication to each other. At the heart of all of Winn’s books is her love for Moth, their shared life, and the confidence and hope it has given them both. There is sadness, of course, at the possible end being close, but it is this that drives them to try everything they can to make Moth well, to give them more precious time together.

With Landlines we return to a more linear story, and one that will inspire and give us all hope. Moth and Raynor are a remarkable couple, putting themselves through extreme challenges, but with a feeling that they are exactly where they are meant to be. It is also nice to see them be able to afford to stop in B&Bs and to buy a bowl of hot chips when they want to, a far cry from The Salt Path where they were having to make pennies stretch across weeks. A love letter to nature, their marriage, and friendship. A lovely read.

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Exhibition Review: Versailles: Science and Splendour, The Science Museum, Lonodn

When you think of the extravagant palace of Versailles in France you likely thing of luxury, fantastic balls for the country’s wealthiest, and its famous final royal inhabitants, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. You’d be forgiven for not immediately thinking of scientific endeavours, yet this exhibition at the Science Museum in London demonstrates how it was at the centre of scientific developments across the board during the reigns of Louis XIV, XV, and XVI. You are taken thematically through a series of rooms, all designed in such a way to immerse you in the era. We learn variously about bringing water to Versailles, garden design and innovation, the menagerie, astronomy, medicine, and clockmaking. There's something for everyone in this accessible, fascinating exhibition which shows how the French court mixed cutting edge technology with elegance and beauty.

You learn about the tools required to create a grand symmetrical garden, and how water was brought to the Palace. The Marly Machine was designed to lift water out of the Seine before transporting it quite some distance via aqueducts, supplying more water to Versailles than the whole of Paris. The machine, admittedly, didn’t work terribly well, but remained functioning for around 130 years. I also enjoyed learning about the innovations in the fountains, and Louis’ hopes for a constantly changing display. This proved impossible so he had to make do with displays on a rotation of over two hours, with some manual interference when he was out walking to give the appearance of ever changing combinations. 

We then delve into the world of botany and the experiments growing plants not native to the country. A painting commemorates the first successful growth of a pineapple. Soon we’re faced with a full-sized taxidermied rhino as we learn more about the animals that lived at the Palace. There are some quite remarkably modern looking paintings on display.

The section on medical advances is interesting, with an early model of pregnancy used by pioneering midwife Madame du Courdray, who is not the only woman celebrated in the exhibition. We see Émilie du Châtelet’s manuscript of her translation of Isaac Newton’s Principa, which is still used today, highlighting its significance. There is also discussion of the way in which the girls of the royal family were encouraged to experiment and learn subjects that may have been more widely considered unsuitable.

There are some grisly items on display - the tools used to heal Louis XIV’s anal fistula, and an acknowledgment of the sacrifice made of non-royals in working out how to successfully carry out the procedure. In other ways the royals were able to benefit public health by promoting the use of inoculations, happily having them administered, acting as a prominent example of success.

Many of the objects naturally come from France, and it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to see them, but they also acknowledge that much of the royal collection was lost and broken up during the Revolution. They continue to attempt to rebuild it today. There are beautiful, unusual objects on display, and a fascinating thread of innovation and discovery running throughout. The exhibition highlights the fact these experiments were not working in isolation however, acknowledging the work happening in other countries at the time, and the way in which various parties were willing to share knowledge and assist in each other’s endeavours. This lovely exhibition is open until 21st April 2025 and I’d recommend trying to catch it if you’re interested in history, science, or design. 

Just One Damned Thing After Another, Jodi Taylor

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Welcome to St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, where history is explored in a very real way. But don’t mention time travel, they don’t like that. Dr Maxwell is our guide to this eccentric world where she is put through her paces to become a qualified historian before being able to go on real ‘jumps’, travelling to different events in history to find out what really happened. Shrouded in mystery, the real activities of St. Mary’s are obscured, but everyone knows them for their constant mishaps while they experiment. The historians have a high attrition rate, and it becomes abundantly clear why from the very first mission the new cohort of historians go on. Even if they manage to survive, all jumps end with a trip to the sick bay. As numbers dwindle Max is forced to rely on her partner Sussman, an unpopular character with the rest of the crew. When they are sent on the biggest mission yet, three months in the Cretaceous period, she has to put her faith in him completely. 

The staff at St. Mary’s are quirky and mostly friendly, always up for a challenge, and easily distracted. Living and working together, it’s only natural that romances emerge, making the loses all the harder to bear. Max and a colleague fall hard for each other, and when they finally let their feelings free it is explosive. All these feelings inevitably lead to jealousies and competition, and some certainly hold a grudge. It was slightly unexpected to find a romance you really get behind in this light-hearted historical fantasy, but Taylor pulls it off smoothly.

The time travel happens via pods which transport them back in time, always hoping they don’t land at the bottom of the ocean or in the middle of a mountain. They are incredibly careful not to leave any trace, any signs of modernity, or to bring back anything not from their own time. This means they spend a lot of time documenting what they find. The adventures keep coming as Max whizzes through the twentieth century, ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, and the Cretaceous period. As soon as one peril is survived we’re on to the next. They’re not all completely disparate events though, an overarching story emerges as we begin to understand the very real threat to St. Mary’s, and history as we know it. Each jump tells us a little more about the other characters, giving us clues as to who Max can trust and who she definitely shouldn’t. 

This is a hugely fun read that I devoured quickly. Taylor manages to mix light hearted comedy and farcical situations with emotional depth, peril, and gender dynamics. It has a little bit for every taste. You might have questions about the time travel but we’re encouraged not to probe. History itself has agency and tries to prevent actions by the historians where they might interfere with the natural course of events, a fact that seems to be forgotten in some of the later activities. The final mission felt a little superfluous, the book could easily have ended a plot point earlier, but I imagine it went some way in setting up the following books in the series. Overall a great read with headstrong, likeable characters whose stories leave plenty open for more exploration in later books. 

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The Blackbirds of St. Giles, Lila Cain

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This post is part of a blog tour. Thank you to Random Things Tours and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s 1768 and the enslaved people on the Garnett Plantation in Jamaica have had enough, it’s time to seek their revenge and escape a life of misery. This dramatic opening gives glimpses of the horrors that have been experienced, some truly bone chilling. The main focus however, is setting up the relationships between the characters we will follow for the next nearly five hundred pages, and to give an understanding of their history. Thirteen years later we meet Daniel and Pearl again, in New York. Friends with the wealthy Fitzallens, they have made a good life for themselves. When they head to London they discover that not all members of the family are as good hearted, and James Fitzallen is set up as the villain of the piece, one that will make your blood boil. Sadly, their reception in London generally is one of threat and distrust, and the life they had hoped for soon proves itself out of their reach. A young woman, Jen, meets them in a moment of need and suggests they make their home in the St. Giles Rookery, a place where the desperate find some shelter and companionship, ruled over by the dangerous Elias. 

Their life there is challenging and Daniel smarts with the injustice of how their fortunes have turned once again. His desire to keep Pearl safe means he feels compelled to agree to Elias’ demands and soon finds himself in a position where he needs to betray those who have been good to him. You do really feel for Daniel to begin with but he doesn’t always make the best decisions, and he is far from in control of his emotions, treating those who are looking out for him badly. He tries to control Pearl despite her being a young adult, and although this is clearly rooted in love, he doesn’t seem to learn that explaining his reasoning would help people get on board with his ideas. Pearl is a companion character, we see her development only through Daniel’s eyes and through her rebellions against him.

The community they find in the rookery, those willing to put themselves on the line for others, and groups fighting for change is a strong one, but not without its conflicts. There is no love for Elias among his ‘subjects’ but fear keeps them loyal. With the new arrivals on the scene, some believe change is on the horizon. Daniel is resistant to power, but his successes in the ring show how much the community need a hero, and he might not have much choice in playing the role.

This is a book that doesn’t shy away from the hardships experienced by many in the eighteenth century. It explores the experience of people of colour living in London during a time where slavery was still rife, where any run in with the law could have you shipped off in chains. It is horrifying, and we are shown how it traps people in situations they might otherwise have a chance of escaping. There are moments where you become deeply invested in the characters, but for a lot of the book they feel fairly surface level and predictable. Elias is undoubtedly a character with a wicked core, but we don’t quite see enough of him to really feel the hatred that the other characters do. James Fitzallen is absent throughout most of the book, and although he does reappear, constantly working to undermine the life Daniel is building, he is ephemeral and so we don’t experience the emotions of their conflict as strongly as it seemed we would when first introduced. Another character from the past makes a reappearance in the latter parts of the book, and although they add a bit of extra difficulty, and the opportunity to reveal a secret, again they don’t make that much of an impact. The ideas are good but the story progresses much as you would expect and it all feels a little too neat, moments that are designed to be high tension lack drama because you feel certain of the outcome. 

Most of the characters are fictional but the situations are rooted in history, shining a light on a part of London’s Georgian history that has largely been ignored. Daniel and Pearl’s story might be atypical in its conclusion, but the struggle is very real. This is an accessible introduction to this history, and one which evokes the surroundings and struggle of people at all stages of life vividly. It also highlights the normalcy of the presence of people of colour in London in this period - running pubs, shop owners, etc, a reality that is often skipped in historical fiction.

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The Palace, Gareth Russell

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Hampton Court Palace is one of Britain’s most iconic and unusual palaces. Half Tudor, half Baroque, it offers a unique opportunity to explore a wide range of British history in a very tactile way. It’s also been home to some of the most significant events in the country’s history. Russell takes us on a whirlwind tour of five hundred years of history, encompassing family feuds, marital breakdowns, the imprisonment and escape of a King due to be beheaded, religious milestones, and even the pre-coronation ball of Queen Elizabeth II, bringing us back to the modern world.

We gain an understanding of the people who have shaped the very fabric of the building. Anne Boleyn was keenly interested in this and worked hard to smooth the different styles into something that looked deliberate. Traces of her were removed once Henry VIII had moved on to his next bride, but one remaining insignia was found many centuries later. Of course, the biggest change came with William and Mary, who had planned to destroy the whole of the Tudor palace. If money hadn’t dried up we would be left with a very different building today, a sad thought. Queen Victoria, keen to turn the palace into a visitor attraction, perhaps inspired by the success of Versailles, realised the public interest was firmly with the Tudors and so undertook work to restore and enhance the Great Hall. 

Its history as a place of public interest has grown across the centuries, but has been an aspect of It’s role through much of its existence, adhoc tours being provided by staff wanting to supplement their income during quieter periods. The presence of grace and favour residents onsite had also allowed access to a broader range of people visiting their friends and relatives in their apartments, seeing areas of the building that were otherwise inaccessible to the public. Now under the custodianship of Historic Royal Palaces, who do a wonderful job of interpreting the spaces, visitor numbers are at the highest they’ve ever been, and continual work to conserve and open up the spaces is undertaken.

Approaching a biography of a building such as Hampton Court, so rich in history and with such a long life is no small task. Russell opts to focus on one area of the palace in each chapter, on one connecting event, taking us through chronologically so that we have an understanding of how the various monarchs have felt about and used the palace. Many of the events of course have many links to places and people outside the palace and so at times it feels more like a romp through British royal history than specifically about the palace, but perhaps that is testament to the central role it has played.

Those with a broad understanding of the history involved will find familiar stories but also perhaps links that you may not have known. For me these included the time Charles I spent onsite in captivity and his escape, perhaps encouraged by his opposition. The King James Bible having connections to the palace in the conference held there in 1604 which led to both it and the Book of Common Prayer, both incredibly important moments in the history of Christianity. Finally, one chapter explored the arrangements around the grave of the Unknown Soldier which sits in Westminster Abbey. A huge range in content, and a demonstration of how the story continues long after the royal family regularly used it as a home or entertainment venue. 

An interesting read, written in such a way as to bring the magic of the palace and its history to life. If you have an in-depth knowledge of British history there might not be all that much new to you, but the breadth of the focus suggests that there will be nuggets of interest and revelation for most readers.

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