ARGONAUT BOOKS

Join us for a relaxed chat every month about a book that speaks to the big issues of our times.

Our next pick to read is 'Enshittification' by Cory Doctorow. 

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It is a technique that every platform - from X to TikTok, Amazon to Apple, has adopted. First they lure users onto their platforms, then attract businesses who might profit from this newly formed public, and then finally squeeze both for their own profit. Tech giants lure users in with convenience and then degrade their services over time, draining profit at the cost of user experience.

In the meantime our public squares have turned somewhere between the mall and a dumpster fire, that is unfit to deal with the problems of our times. What is to be done? Like a surgeon, Doctorow sets out the symptoms, the diagnosis and the cure to these metastasizing platforms. We need to question the monopolies that dominate so much of our online lives, we must demand regulation and our privacy back, allow for interoperability, and win tech workers' rights.

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FAQs

How long does each book club last?

Each book club is an hour and a half, ending around 8.30pm.

Do I have to finish reading the book before coming along?

Ideally, but no! If you can't, or don't want to, finish the book, we still want to hear your thoughts. We will however spoil every aspect of the book during discussion.