The Cyber Effect by Mary Aiken – review
Note the doctorate after the author's name; and the subtitle: A Pioneering Cyberpsychologist Explains How Human Behaviour Changes Online; and the potted bio, informing us that "Dr Mary Aiken is the world's foremost forensic cyberpsychologist" - all clues indicating that this is a book targeted at the US market, another addition to that sprawling genre of books by folks with professional qualifications using pop science to frighten the hoi polloi.
This is a pity, because The Cyber Effect is really rather good and doesn't need its prevailing tone of relentless self-promotion to achieve its desired effect, which is to make one think about what digital technology is doing to us. At this stage, there can't be many people who haven't, at one time or another, fretted about this question. After all, the technology has invaded every aspect of our lives; it is changing social and private behaviour, having a disproportionate impact on our children and facilitating types of criminal and antisocial behaviour that are repulsive and sometimes terrifying. And it is now also changing democratic politics: the most interesting thing about Donald Trump is how his narcissistic personality has found its perfect expression in Twitter - which is how we come to have an internet troll running for president.
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