‘Social media are dysfunctional to the overall health of civil society and democracy’: Ronald Deibert, author of Donner-nominated Reset

The following is an excerpt from Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society, by Ronald J. Deibert. Published by House of Anansi Press, the book is one of five finalists for this year's Donner Prize, the best public policy book in Canada.

Ronald J. Deibert, author of Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society. 'It is clear that as presently constituted social media are dysfunctional to the overall health of civil society and democracy. I believe we need an urgent 'reset' (hence the title). We need to take a step back and reconsider the architecture of our communications environment from the ground up—before it’s too late.' Photograph handout

Feature

BY RONALD J. DEIBERT

April 26, 2021

Look at that device in your hand. No, really, take a good, long look at it. You carry it around with you wherever you go. You sleep with it, work with it, run with it, you play games on it. You depend on it, and panic when you can’t find it. It links you to your relatives and kids. You take phot...

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