Person
Every book Sheera Frenkel recommended on podcasts
Sheera Frenkel is a journalist who appeared on the Big Technology Podcast alongside Cecilia Kang to discuss their book, An Ugly Truth. Frenkel discussed how an early, longer version of the work included a chapter on the Obama campaign's use of Facebook, and she noted that readers from different political backgrounds interpreted the book through their own viewpoints. She stated that none of the book's sources were motivated by anger over Donald Trump's election. Frenkel also highlighted the book's evidence that Facebook executives frequently received warnings about emerging problems, pointing specifically to an internal white paper from March 2017 that omitted a section about Russia at executive request. Furthermore, she mentioned that Facebook aggressively attempted to find the book's anonymous sources without success. Lastly, Frenkel explained that the book aimed to elucidate Facebook's underlying business model and data collection practices, and she noted that its final chapter examined the platform's handling of the 2020 election and ongoing peer-to-peer misinformation.
Books recommended by Sheera Frenkel
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An Ugly Truth
An Ugly Truth by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang is a gripping non-fiction book that explores the inner workings and controversies of Facebook.
Discussed“There was a version of this book that was twice as long and we had an early chapter. I still remember writing it where we looked at the Obama campaign and how they used Facebook.”
Where to get it
Books Sheera Frenkel wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Motivations Of Facebook Reporters, And Their Sources — With Ugly Truth Author Sheera Frenkel | Big Technology Podcast | 2021-08-11 | 8 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“You know, I think the term surveillance capitalism came for Shoshana Zubrov, who we quote in the book, who wrote an excellent book about this. You know, we don't use it.”