The Circle, by Dave Eggers

Oh, the irony of reviewing this book in particular on social media/the Internet. This is a cautionary tale of the growing power, violating intrusion, and unnerving omniscience ... of the Internet. When Mae Holland is hired to work in customer service at The Circle, the company culture seems like a hilarious satire à la Silicon Valley (the show). The shiny campus, the developer-specific lingo and protocol, quirks of genius, and the ostentation of new innovation and technology all throw tiny, teasing jabs at Facebook.

However, the tone of the story shifts to a sinister one as The Circles' user base and influence grows. Mae becomes increasingly neurotic over purpose and validation, deriving her value and emotional stability from comments, "smiles", and "zings". Driven by her "PartiRank" standing, she ends up wearing a videocamera at all times and exploiting her own family and friendships to create content in order to entice her viewers. Meanwhile, The Circle rolls out other intrusive technology such as their SeeChange cameras, surveillance software, and a slew of other products under the guise of creating "pure transparency" in the universe, with thousands upon thousands of consumers buying into the philosophy each second. What starts off as a satire ends as a horror story about the perils of knowing too much at the cost of one's humanity.

5/5 stars - I know there's a movie out there but now I'm too scared to watch it because it'll bring the horrors of Facebook and Google a bit too close to home!