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jackiesobota's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
equleart's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.75
while very informative in a historical and even philosophical sense and ultimately coming to the correct conclusions in many respects, the hardheaded and unexamined insistence that technological factors first and foremost, and not social, cultural and economic ones, are the main driver of the supposed dumbing down of our society comes across as very narrow-minded.
Many assumptions rest on very shaky ground and anecdotes often do not support Postman's argument if you even partially reject his hypothesis and so read as snarky or overly malicious. Likewise, the possibility that other factors could be at work is repeatedly dismissed out of hand.
Postman proved that he knows what the issues are and where they will lead us. The attempt to convince me of his view of what the causes are was mostly unsuccessful, but that isn't to say the book is without merit. It's not a unique examination of our media consumption anymore but I am pretty sure that it was the genesis of many that followed, as I've previously come across parts of his analysis almost verbatim.
Many assumptions rest on very shaky ground and anecdotes often do not support Postman's argument if you even partially reject his hypothesis and so read as snarky or overly malicious. Likewise, the possibility that other factors could be at work is repeatedly dismissed out of hand.
Postman proved that he knows what the issues are and where they will lead us. The attempt to convince me of his view of what the causes are was mostly unsuccessful, but that isn't to say the book is without merit. It's not a unique examination of our media consumption anymore but I am pretty sure that it was the genesis of many that followed, as I've previously come across parts of his analysis almost verbatim.
natshelf's review against another edition
4.0
terrifyingly accurate to the current media landscape; especially to short-form content, filled with sentiments one would be surprised were written in 1985.
tophat8855's review against another edition
3.0
Reading nonfiction that was written the year you were born is wild. He gets some things spot on, but also is off on a lot (like how the Internet would affect public discourse). It's pretty short- I listened via Hoopla, and he makes good points about how the medium and mode of public discourse has changed over the centuries. And it's right about politics becoming entertainment. Heck, even driving, with large touch screens and such, is entertainment.
omair's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
While there are some very interesting bits, overall there is - at least what felt to me - a lot of repetitive thoughts that make the book feel like it drags along. It crosses the line from informative to preachy and made me feel like trudging through quicksand to get to the end. Still, for a book written four decades ago, it offered me some applicable insight into modern times, so I applaud it for that.