Trauma Industrial Complex: How Oversharing Became a Product in a Digital World

by Darren McGarvey

*The new book from the Orwell Prize-Winning author of Poverty Safari and The Social Distance Between Us*

Today, trauma permeates media, from music and television to films and books – my own included. While the increasing openness is welcome, I’ve observed that this rise has been accompanied by a parallel explosion of disinformation and sometimes harmful guidance about how to deal with personal trauma.

In Trauma Industrial Complex, I ask the How did we get here? And are the stories we’re telling ourselves liberating us or keeping us trapped? In this revealing and deeply personal book, I’ll pull back the curtain, sharing the hard-won wisdom I’ve gained from the events brought on by telling my own story.

Praise for Darren

‘An Orwell for today's poor’ – The Times
‘The standout, authentic voice of a generation’ – Herald
‘McGarvey is a a working-class writer who has fought to make the middle-class world hear what he has to say’ – Nick Cohen, Guardian

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Politics, Sociology

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2025

About the author

Darren McGarvey (born 1984), aka Loki, grew up in Pollok, Glasgow. He is a writer, performer, columnist and former rapper-in-residence at Police Scotland's Violence Reduction Unit. He has presented eight programmes for BBC Scotland exploring the root causes of anti-social behaviour and social deprivation.

Reviews

[Tala · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can we just rename the book to
Trauma Industrial Complex: How oversharing became a product for me.
Or
I had a good idea but I'd rather talk about myself instead.

Page after page of his story, his lived experience, his trauma - I wanted to scream at this book "This isn't what I signed up for."

It's not a book about how oversharing became a product in the digital world or about how trauma has been turned into a commodity. It's a trauma dump.

[Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

BBC Sounds abridged version .

Insightful analysis of the pros and cons of the explosion of victim stories , often from previously marginalized people . He looks at how repeated telling of these stories , often spurred by a driving expectation that change may result , can both traumatize a victim and arrest recovery especially if captured in the media A bit like a rock band forever destined to play their only hit years after the event .

The author is a rapper , writer and broadcaster best known for his personal story of recovery and his activism .

But this is no angry political text rather a measured and thoughtful reflection on what his continued sobriety and activism has taught him , most insightfully the dangers of over sharing and seeing oneself as a perpetual victim while denying the hurt and pain done to others .

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the first part of Trauma Industrial Complex, Darren McGarvey examines how trauma has become pervasive in modern culture and public discourse. He argues that while raising awareness about mental health and personal suffering was originally intended to destigmatize trauma, it has evolved into a “trauma economy,” where narratives of pain are often commodified for media, activism, or political purposes. McGarvey questions whether this widespread discussion genuinely helps people heal or whether it risks turning lived suffering into a product for public consumption, highlighting the tension between awareness and exploitation.

The second part of the book is more personal and memoir-like. McGarvey reflects on his own life, including his experiences with addiction, poverty, and the pressures of publicly sharing his trauma. He emphasizes the emotional cost of becoming a “poster child” for suffering, showing how constantly retelling traumatic experiences under public scrutiny can trap individuals in their own stories and hinder authentic healing. By blending personal narrative with social commentary, he demonstrates that exposure and vulnerability do not automatically equate to empowerment.

In the final part, McGarvey broadens the discussion to critique how “lived experience” is treated as currency in advocacy, policy, and media. He warns that institutions often leverage trauma testimonies for legitimacy or funding without providing meaningful support or systemic change. Additionally, he cautions against simplifying survivors’ identities, reminding readers that those with trauma are multifaceted individuals who may still struggle or even cause harm.

Overall, the book challenges the notion that public storytelling of trauma is inherently beneficial and calls for a more nuanced, compassionate, and ethical approach to understanding and supporting those who have experienced suffering. This was a more personal exploration than I was expected but appreciated the way the author set up a framework in the first part and then examined himself in the second two parts. I would have appreciated a references or bibliography section.

[Alison Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the book I thought it was going to be. Expected reflections on what it means for our society that trauma is now content and clout. Instead it’s half angry polemic and half misery memoir. The author expects us to be reading because we know who he is, I had never heard of him which squashed the main character energy somewhat.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book having loved his first two. It wasn’t exactly what I expected but it was absolutely what I have come to appreciate from this author - there’s a brutal honesty that is his trademark and that on this occasion is unflinchingly turned inward. There are insights which I have applied to my own story. I have had a fair bit of therapeutic training and I work with young people and see how impacted they are by life today. I don’t necessarily agree with the standpoint made here on the prolific nature of the trauma conversation. That’s the thing about the world today though is that we don’t read enough opposing viewpoints from people we respect - this is the heart of debate, and I found myself wanting that discussion. The world is messy right now, and we need books like this and conversations like this.

[Barry Kenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where we are encouraged to share more and more of ourselves, we sometimes end up living as if our lives are open wounds. In Trauma Industrial Complex, Darren McGarvey asks a deceptively simple question: who are we really sharing our lives with and are we reflecting enough before we do?

Drawing partly from his own experience, McGarvey examines what happens when personal pain becomes public currency. For those who, like him, become symbols of openness and authenticity, there is a real risk of losing touch with who we are beyond the public persona and beyond the trauma that first brought attention. When suffering becomes the primary lens through which identity is understood, even genuine growth and joy can be flattened or overlooked. The “glimmers”, as some call them, the quiet and beautiful moments that resist neat narratives, can disappear from view.

The book is not an attack on trauma awareness, nor does it dismiss the vital work done by those supporting people who suffer. Instead, it warns against unreflective oversharing and asks us to consider who benefits from it. McGarvey is particularly sharp on how digital platforms and media incentives can exploit vulnerability for clicks, engagement, and money, often leaving the person who shared more exposed rather than better understood.

Overall, Trauma Industrial Complex is a thoughtful meditation on boundaries, identity, and the cultural economy of pain. It challenges readers to ask not just what they share, but why they share it, who they are sharing it with, and what the cost might be.

[Daisy Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was recommended to me by a university lecturer after she advised me to watch Darren's docuseries 'the state we're in' as part of my research into studying a social policy course at uni. i like the take that Darren shares, i have also experienced 'trauma' so I also think you need to be in a good place with an open mind to receive this message. Darren's ideas are intruiging and thought provoking, actively encouraging self reflection and critical thinking. Lots of his comments resonated with me in a way they might not have if i read this earlier in my personal healing journey, and this book helped me to appreciate that growth.

[Debby Binns · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I am not really aware of Darren McGarvey - his music or his life story (I believe he won the Orwell Prize for fiction a few years ago). This new book is a deep dive into the discourse, research and taboos around trauma, and the industries and cultural conventions that feed on it. I thought it was really interesting but perhaps more as an essay than a whole book.

[Kenneth Roberts 340 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, an incredibly personal book. I found this on par with, and as insightful and thought provoking as poverty safari. The section on the stories we create and tell ourselves challenged my own narratives and way of thinking. As usual with Darren, a book which challenges our thought processes and helps us to continue in our mental maturity.

[JoJo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, for me I was hoping to learn but it felt like an absolute iconic example of the oversharing he was seeming to find such an issue. Gave up in the end - yes, I got it, I heard your story, now what....

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

i see what this was trying to do but it missed the mark for me. i’m not familiar with mcgarvey so maybe i was wrong to expect a more academic look at trauma rather than what ended up being quite an individualised and almost autobiographical journey? some good points - i agree that the stories we tell ourselves are often not true, that sharing in itself doesn’t lead to healing - but mixing it up with the writer’s personal reflections just didn’t work

[Fiona Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stream of thought, reflective, biographical, political, critique, self-help book. A different tone to his previous. Written with the same conviction, but this time about how it's OK for your identity to evolve as you become self aware/mature/heal; a conviction of nuance and changing narratives. Although I think my self awareness is average, some bits made me really question my own actions and intentions. Thought-provoking.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars;