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300 reviews for:
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
Adam Alter
3.7 AVERAGE
300 reviews for:
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
Adam Alter
3.7 AVERAGE
I think the most interesting parts about this book were the things that weren't said; the connections that you can make and relate to your own experiences.
I started reading the print book for about 100 pages and found myself getting very uninterested with the writing. I thought I would try out the audiobook first before giving up. I'm glad I did. The narrator is good. And the rest of the book gave me lots to think about. It's a topic that's really been on my mind.
My mind wandered a lot in certain parts.. especially when he gets into details about how specific video games are played. Many games. Many, many games. I am so uninterested in games that I would zone out. The good thing about this audiobook is that when you realize you zoned out, you can zone back in and you haven't missed much.
I started reading the print book for about 100 pages and found myself getting very uninterested with the writing. I thought I would try out the audiobook first before giving up. I'm glad I did. The narrator is good. And the rest of the book gave me lots to think about. It's a topic that's really been on my mind.
My mind wandered a lot in certain parts.. especially when he gets into details about how specific video games are played. Many games. Many, many games. I am so uninterested in games that I would zone out. The good thing about this audiobook is that when you realize you zoned out, you can zone back in and you haven't missed much.
dark
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this one. I really liked learning the psychology of why we get addicted to things like social media and how it's not always our fault. Of course we all make choices but as Adam Alter noted, just because we might have strong will power, how does that stack up against the thousand other people designing things to manipulate our will power? Just like games, tech, and the internet, there is no clear good or bad. There is bad but there is a lot of good. There is also no clear cut solution. I think my big take away is that it's important to never stop questioning the world around you, trying to understand others' motivations, and listening to how you feel even if it is ultimately boring. Boring is not a bad thing but it's also okay to want to make boring tasks more interesting. Sometimes the best thing you can do is what you think is best for that moment in time. None of this, or us, is completely black or white.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
School book therefore I am not rating or reviewing. But I will say this was one of the better books school has assigned for reading.
I would have given this book 4.5 stars if I could have. It is an irresistible read, as promised. The only drawback really comes in the last few chapters, the author loses it a bit there and doesn’t tie the book together tightly. The subtitle does not deliver, either, but I am sure it sells more books. An interesting read. You probably won’t learn some thing that you don’t intuitively know already about technology and addiction, although the fascinating crossover with other forms of addiction was eye-opening. Fascinating read.
This was for one of my classes I am taking. I liked some chapters and didn't like some others. This was not something I would read normally. This book was more of an informational kind of read which I don't like. I enjoy stories therefore, I had mixed feeling for this book.
A very readable and entertaining book.
Contained a lot more about addiction and behaviour addiction than I expected, and less about how tech is deliberately designed to be addictive.
The last chapter of gamification was a little weak, but this didn’t detract from the enjoyment.
There is also an unwritten belief that the written word (magazines and books) are not bad, and iPads are. Which is perhaps rather telling on our looking back at the past as being better.
Recommend reading for all parents with young children !
Contained a lot more about addiction and behaviour addiction than I expected, and less about how tech is deliberately designed to be addictive.
The last chapter of gamification was a little weak, but this didn’t detract from the enjoyment.
There is also an unwritten belief that the written word (magazines and books) are not bad, and iPads are. Which is perhaps rather telling on our looking back at the past as being better.
Recommend reading for all parents with young children !
A fascinating, informative and slightly frightening look at our burgeoning addictions to technology. Looking at why and how this is happening but also suggesting how we can manage it this is a book that everyone who owns a computer, a mobile phone, or a tablet should read. It has certainly made me much more mindful of the way in which I use and the frequency that I use technology. Written in an accessible and interesting fashion that will appeal to the reader this is an important book that makes you realise that we should be controlling technology not the other way round.
There’s nothing new here, really, but it pulls together the science of addiction and how it’s abused by social media and tech companies well. This would be a good intro book on the topic. I appreciate the heavier exploration of the potential future of VR, which feels overlooked in a lot of content in this area. Because this is 7 years old at the time I’m reviewing, the AI hellscape that is taking off is not even touched.
I had a hard time with the section on wearable tech which felt really dramatic. Though the author does eventually get into how gamification can be helpful to reaching health goals (for example, using a Fitbit), the initial negative depiction of wearable tech is over the top. I’m sorry, would’ve loved to see data, but it really feels like smart watches causing exercise addiction isn’t exactly a widespread issue? Wearable tech is one area where it feels like the benefits far outweigh the costs for most people, and isn’t something that deserves as much airtime as other issues covered.
I had a hard time with the section on wearable tech which felt really dramatic. Though the author does eventually get into how gamification can be helpful to reaching health goals (for example, using a Fitbit), the initial negative depiction of wearable tech is over the top. I’m sorry, would’ve loved to see data, but it really feels like smart watches causing exercise addiction isn’t exactly a widespread issue? Wearable tech is one area where it feels like the benefits far outweigh the costs for most people, and isn’t something that deserves as much airtime as other issues covered.