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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
Unfocused academic survey highlights some interesting things.
The cover of this book appeared irresistible. I wanted to better understand the inner workings of how addictive technology and how I can break away and lead a more meaningful life. This book provided neither. Beyond re-framing of examples I already heard, I didn't find new information in this book that was more insightful than regular tech headlines. Save yourself the time by reading the following one sentence summary: The vast majority of platforms are designed to waste your time and money and keep you coming back for more, not unlike tobacco.
informative
medium-paced
An important read covering the whole gamut of behavioural addictions, especially social media and gaming. Definitely the kind of book that starts a cultural discussion.
Recommended for everyone who's curious about how the human mind works, how social media is designed to be addictive, and how we can counteract addictive behaviour.
Recommended for everyone who's curious about how the human mind works, how social media is designed to be addictive, and how we can counteract addictive behaviour.
Why can’t we put our phones down? Adam Alter explains it brilliantly, unpacking the addictive designs behind our favorite apps and gadgets. The book starts strong, blending science and storytelling, but loses momentum with repetitive ideas and few actionable takeaways.
A sharp look at tech addiction, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Rating: 3/5 – Engaging but not essential.
A sharp look at tech addiction, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Rating: 3/5 – Engaging but not essential.
In my case subtitled "Why we can't stop checking, scrolling, clicking and watching", I found the book initially to hook me just as the "Irresistible" title described, but as I neared the later sections it became a little less challenging and informative - so my pace of reading slowed. Nevertheless to read through a volume of this size and detailed content in less than two weeks shows that I was to a large degree "hooked". I learned a lot about the nature of addiction and could recognise the behaviours described in both me and those around me. The book gives insight and helped to move me from the consciously incompetent state towards conscious competence... I still have a long way to go, but I do now think about my own behaviours in a more analytical and understanding way. This volume is an informative and thought-provoking reading journey that can lead to personal change and insights into others.
100% agree with the premise of the book. Did not try any of the coping skills.
A lot of this information I already knew, but only because I read a lot of similar nonfiction. However, I'm glad I got this for my school library, because the majority of this stuff would be brand new, and hopefully eye opening, for a high school student.
I have wanted to read a book on this theme for a long time. The author does a pretty good job on covering how we get addicted, both behavioral addiction and substance addiction. However, on the note on what to do with it, he falls short and I was left confused and disappointed.
However, I did gain at least one further insight: sound conditioning doesn’t work just on Pavlov’s dogs. In 2013 I was close to burning out and I developed a deep aversion to all electronic beeps and sounds. I have no in-app sounds even for the short periods my phone isn’t on silent (99,8%). This has probably saved me from an even deeper addiction to SoMe.
The author talks about substitution. I started cross stitching again 3,5 years ago because I thought I was reaching for my phone too often. Not sure how well it works. Also keep your phone away from you. Well, that only works at night. I keep my phone on another floor. At work I need it and otherwise it’s close because I listen to a lot of audio books.
Your fitness watch is apparently also something you can get addicted to as well. Again, mine isn’t allowed to beep at me, maybe that’s why I’m impervious to its nagging. It will tell me to move even if I have been on a two hour run, but only on the screen so I ignore it. It’s there, but I don’t care if I don’t reach my goals.
I do wish that I spent less time on my phone and this book didn’t really give me any more tips than I already knew. My gadget and apps want my attention and most of all, my money. I know that and even though I hate shopping and never gamble, I struggle to resist.
However, I did gain at least one further insight: sound conditioning doesn’t work just on Pavlov’s dogs. In 2013 I was close to burning out and I developed a deep aversion to all electronic beeps and sounds. I have no in-app sounds even for the short periods my phone isn’t on silent (99,8%). This has probably saved me from an even deeper addiction to SoMe.
The author talks about substitution. I started cross stitching again 3,5 years ago because I thought I was reaching for my phone too often. Not sure how well it works. Also keep your phone away from you. Well, that only works at night. I keep my phone on another floor. At work I need it and otherwise it’s close because I listen to a lot of audio books.
Your fitness watch is apparently also something you can get addicted to as well. Again, mine isn’t allowed to beep at me, maybe that’s why I’m impervious to its nagging. It will tell me to move even if I have been on a two hour run, but only on the screen so I ignore it. It’s there, but I don’t care if I don’t reach my goals.
I do wish that I spent less time on my phone and this book didn’t really give me any more tips than I already knew. My gadget and apps want my attention and most of all, my money. I know that and even though I hate shopping and never gamble, I struggle to resist.
There is a reason that Silicon Valley CEOs restrict their kids to use technologies they invented. As a mother and an engineer who makes money by building (hopefully) addictive software, I know perfectly well what that reason is.
This book is a summary of what and how modern technologies fuel addictive behaviour. We are in an epidemic behaviour addiction—Internet, gaming, gambling, shopping, fitness addiction, eating disorder, work addiction—you name it. Any activity can become addictive. It will only get worse— think VR, which is what called the potential legal heroin by the author.
The book starts with basics of how addiction works. Behaviour addiction works the same way as substance abuse. I have read other books about addiction, so this part is not new to me. Addictive behaviours take advantages of the same pleasure centre and reward system of the brain. Behind addiction there is always unfulfilled psychological needs, and the mind learns to associate the behaviour in question with the stress release. Addiction is a social issue and a medical issue.
The second part of the book is analysis of several behaviour addictions and why they are addictive by human design. This is the most interesting part.
Topics covered are:
1. Gambling: why gamblers hard to quit? Why slot machine is addictive?
2. Video games: how popular games are designed to make players keep playing, and the human psychology behind the game design. Games analysed: Super Mario, World of Warcraft, Tetris, Kardashian Hollywood, Mobile games such as FarmVille, candy crush
3. Shopping addiction: online flash sale business model (Gilt)
4. Penny auction site, which is a mixture of shopping and gambling
5. Social Media addiction: facebook’s like button
6. Why Netfix’s autoplay leads to binge watching
7. Why wearable fitness device lead to fitness addiction
Some insights:
1. Ludic loop in gaming is addictive because it gives you reward once in a while
2. Near win is always better than win in motivation; it makes players continue in order to ease the disappointment. When rewards unpredictable, players enjoy them more
3. Video game design: constant small rewards; easy to start; music to make you continue; gradual increase of difficulties, and the art of finding the sweet spot of the best difficulties: not too easy so you get bored, not to difficult so you get frustrated.
4. Tension created by not finishing a task makes you want more
5. Our brain is wired to seek shortcut and the easy way out, therefore the importance of asking the right question: opt in or opt out?
6. Goal setting: goals are important drive in motivation; however, using arbitrary number as goals can lead to the forgetting of the the reason of goals.
The author answered the question of why social media is harmful to kids:
Danger of social media addiction is not what it can provide, but what it can not provide: face to face communication, the ability to deep connect with a real person in real time. Social media is only a shallow version of real world socialisation. It stops children to learn from reading each other’s facial clues, clues from the tones and body language. Even video conference can’t be the same.
Nothing wrong with making friends online, as long as you also make friends offline.
In Part 3 the author offers some solutions to the ever growing problem of behaviour addiction. I am disappointed that available solutions are very limited, but that’s the situation we are in now. The best option we have is to delay the introduction of smartphones and limit the usage of internet and gaming in kids. How lame!
The author mentioned a clinic named reSTART in Seattle that treat internet addiction.
The author also discussed the pros and cons of Gamification in education.
We can’t go back to the age before Internet, before Google, and before smart phones, or can we?
Two things I disagree with the author:
1. The so-called Internet Addiction Treatment camps in China are notorious, where adolescents are held against their will and are forced to go through shock therapy, military style trainings and physical tortures. The author visited one of such centres in Beijing. He generally disagreed with such treatments, but he did not condemn the practice.
2. Whether our risk seeking genes came from Neanderthals is debatable.
This book is a summary of what and how modern technologies fuel addictive behaviour. We are in an epidemic behaviour addiction—Internet, gaming, gambling, shopping, fitness addiction, eating disorder, work addiction—you name it. Any activity can become addictive. It will only get worse— think VR, which is what called the potential legal heroin by the author.
The book starts with basics of how addiction works. Behaviour addiction works the same way as substance abuse. I have read other books about addiction, so this part is not new to me. Addictive behaviours take advantages of the same pleasure centre and reward system of the brain. Behind addiction there is always unfulfilled psychological needs, and the mind learns to associate the behaviour in question with the stress release. Addiction is a social issue and a medical issue.
The second part of the book is analysis of several behaviour addictions and why they are addictive by human design. This is the most interesting part.
Topics covered are:
1. Gambling: why gamblers hard to quit? Why slot machine is addictive?
2. Video games: how popular games are designed to make players keep playing, and the human psychology behind the game design. Games analysed: Super Mario, World of Warcraft, Tetris, Kardashian Hollywood, Mobile games such as FarmVille, candy crush
3. Shopping addiction: online flash sale business model (Gilt)
4. Penny auction site, which is a mixture of shopping and gambling
5. Social Media addiction: facebook’s like button
6. Why Netfix’s autoplay leads to binge watching
7. Why wearable fitness device lead to fitness addiction
Some insights:
1. Ludic loop in gaming is addictive because it gives you reward once in a while
2. Near win is always better than win in motivation; it makes players continue in order to ease the disappointment. When rewards unpredictable, players enjoy them more
3. Video game design: constant small rewards; easy to start; music to make you continue; gradual increase of difficulties, and the art of finding the sweet spot of the best difficulties: not too easy so you get bored, not to difficult so you get frustrated.
4. Tension created by not finishing a task makes you want more
5. Our brain is wired to seek shortcut and the easy way out, therefore the importance of asking the right question: opt in or opt out?
6. Goal setting: goals are important drive in motivation; however, using arbitrary number as goals can lead to the forgetting of the the reason of goals.
The author answered the question of why social media is harmful to kids:
Danger of social media addiction is not what it can provide, but what it can not provide: face to face communication, the ability to deep connect with a real person in real time. Social media is only a shallow version of real world socialisation. It stops children to learn from reading each other’s facial clues, clues from the tones and body language. Even video conference can’t be the same.
Nothing wrong with making friends online, as long as you also make friends offline.
In Part 3 the author offers some solutions to the ever growing problem of behaviour addiction. I am disappointed that available solutions are very limited, but that’s the situation we are in now. The best option we have is to delay the introduction of smartphones and limit the usage of internet and gaming in kids. How lame!
The author mentioned a clinic named reSTART in Seattle that treat internet addiction.
The author also discussed the pros and cons of Gamification in education.
We can’t go back to the age before Internet, before Google, and before smart phones, or can we?
Two things I disagree with the author:
1. The so-called Internet Addiction Treatment camps in China are notorious, where adolescents are held against their will and are forced to go through shock therapy, military style trainings and physical tortures. The author visited one of such centres in Beijing. He generally disagreed with such treatments, but he did not condemn the practice.
2. Whether our risk seeking genes came from Neanderthals is debatable.