The Net Delusion

The Net Delusion is a critical and provocative book that challenges the widespread optimism about the internet’s ability to promote freedom and democracy throughout the world. Written by Belarusian scholar and commentator Evgeny Morozov, the text argues that the internet is not a tool for liberation and democratisation, but one for propaganda, repression, and surveillance.

Along with You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier, I consider The Net Delusion to be not only essential reading on the internet, but one of my favourite books ever.

“The revolution will not be tweeted,” he says in reference to the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests that were quickly snuffed out. A play on Gil-Scott Heron’s spoken-word masterpiece “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” it’s a line that really drives home Morozov’s point that the internet is a double-edged sword that can just as easily be used for political suppression as it can be used for social change. Morozov was born in Belarus, in the former Soviet Union, a nation that earned a reputation as “the last dictatorship in Europe.” He is familiar how authoritarian regimes maintain control over their populations, and this informed much of his dissatisfaction with overly simplistic media narratives, and the ineffectiveness of pro-democracy activism, among other problems.

Morozov is critical of the notion of “cyber-utopianism” — the belief that the internet will necessarily bring about democracy and positive social change. He argues that this view is not only naive, but dangerous. He challenges this notion in all of its aspects, urging the reader to examine how governments and big businesses exploit the internet to reinforce existing power structures, rather than loosen them.

He coined the term “Google doctrine” and uses it regularly throughout the text, referring to the misguided idea that big tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter are aligned in the interests of freedom and democracy. Morozov argues that these companies focus on market expansion and government cooperation before anything else, taking precedence over any so-called democratic ideals.

Authoritarian governments have become adept at using the internet and social media as tools to monitor social and political dissent, spread dis/mis/uninformation, and manipulate public opinion. Any anime nerds reading this? Ever watch season two of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex? How Gouda and the Cabinet Intelligence Service were manipulating all forms of digital information and public opinion on the refugees? That’s basically the kind of thing Morozov describes in The Net Delusion, and it’s happening IRL in our time.

Think of the real-life examples in recent history. Iran and China using social media and blogs to track activists. Again, “the revolution will not be tweeted.” Governments employing cyber-attacks and internet blackouts to quash uprisings. Or, the use of astroturfing and trolling to discourage and suppress dissenting views.

And then there’s “clicktivism,” or “slacktivism” as some call it. Morozov takes a shot digital activism — liking, sharing, or hashtagging — as a substitute for real political engagement. He warns that it reinforces a false sense of accomplishment without bringing about any substantive social change. Although one might point to the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge as a counterexample, Morozov’s basic point is well taken.

The text also takes aim at U.S. foreign policy, noting the contradictions with the U.S. championing internet freedom abroad, while engaging in surveillance both abroad and within their own borders. 9/11 and the Patriot Act essentially neutered the Fourth Amendment in the U.S. constitution, giving government agencies carte blanche to spy on their citizens for any reason.

While one could call out Morozov for not proposing any practical solutions, The Net Delusion has injected a much-needed dose of realism into debates about technology and politics. It helped launch discussions on digital authoritarianism, a topic that has only grown more urgent in recent years, with the rise of A.I., deepfakes, and all manner of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. Morozov’s scepticism and historical grounding serve to pick apart the almost childlike optimism of Web 2.0 in the 2000s and early 2010s, and it remains essential reading on power, technology, and digital authoritarianism.

In short, don’t assume more internet means more freedom.

It might seem lengthy at first glance, but The Net Delusion is a compelling read addressing a range of subjects — expectation versus reality, systems of censorship and control, propaganda via the web, mass surveillance, and a lot more. I would highly recommend for it anyone looking to educate themselves on the state of the internet and our media ecosystem, alongside Brave New War by John Robb, and Lanier’s You Are Not a Gadget.