The Glass Cage by Joe Murphy

We live inside an invisible prison. Its walls are glowing screens, its bars are algorithms, and its guards are the very devices we cannot put down. This is The Glass Cage.

In this powerful and unsettling exploration, author Joe Murphy reveals how social media—hailed as the greatest tool of human connection—has also become a system of surveillance, manipulation, and psychological control. Drawing on groundbreaking research, real-world case studies, and the voices of scientists, thinkers, and activists, Murphy uncovers how platforms designed for connection have warped mental health, fractured societies, and eroded trust in truth itself.

But The Glass Cage is not just about what’s broken—it’s also about what can be saved. From grassroots activism to digital communities of hope, Murphy shows how the same networks that divide us can also unite us, offering paths to reclaiming balance in a hyperconnected world.

Urgent, thought-provoking, and deeply human, The Glass Cage is both a warning and a guide. It challenges us to ask: are we shaping our tools, or have our tools begun to shape us?

Perfect for readers of Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism, and Netflix’s The Social Dilemma, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand—and escape—the hidden systems that govern our digital lives.