“The logic of advertising and clicks dictates the media experience, which is exploitative by design,” she claims, although she offers no particular evidence that this is, in fact, the intention of the designers and engineers behind such platforms. Odell places more of the blame on technology and social media than I would. Why? How did we get to this place of maximum distraction? She offers a much-needed critique of our modern, connected lives: “There is nothing to be admired about being constantly connected, constantly potentially productive the second you open your eyes in the morning,” she proclaims early on, “and in my opinion, no one should accept this, not now, not ever.” And yet, of course, so many of us do accept exactly that. Her book is a call to arms against the myriad temptations of distraction. What unifies the bold (though occasionally meandering) prose is Odell’s refusal to surrender her attention to the highest bidder. The various chapters cover topics as diverse as bird-watching and context collapse, progressive politics and industrial design. The resulting volume is closer to a loosely connected collection of erudite essays than to a singular manifesto. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |