Scan barcode
A review by ponch22
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch
4.0
I added this ebook to my Overdrive hold shelf after hearing [a:Gretchen McCulloch|17391188|Gretchen McCulloch|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1550772888p2/17391188.jpg] on one podcast and hearing more about her book [b:Because Internet|36739320|Because Internet Understanding the New Rules of Language|Gretchen McCulloch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547222587l/36739320._SY75_.jpg|58531406] on another. It came off hold a lot quicker than I expected a new release to, and so I had to really try to make time to read it every day to finish before the 3-week loan was up.
(I didn't quite make it and had to put my Kindle on Airplane Mode to prevent the book from disappearing... I even lost some of my final chapter highlights since I was highlighting off-line.)
The book felt like something this part-time proofreader would love—a study of language and how it's changing with the rise of the internet!
⌒°(❛ᴗ❛)°⌒
And, while parts of the book were fascinating reads, other parts felt—I can't quite remember... (THIS is why I usually try to write these reviews right when I finish reading!).
The book takes an academic-like approach—presenting an idea or thesis, citing research (NOTE: the footnotes here weren't as fun to read as those in [a:Ken Jennings|45003|Ken Jennings|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353968375p2/45003.jpg]'s [b:Planet Funny|36373629|Planet Funny How Comedy Took Over Our Culture|Ken Jennings|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527540331l/36373629._SY75_.jpg|58060881]), drawing conclusions—but I feel like sometimes the chapters got kind of stuck in a rut... Two or three pages went by and McCulloch was still repeating the same point again and again instead of providing new examples or moving the argument forward? (I think that sort of summarizes my disappointment and what kept it from being 5*)
(ಥ﹏ಥ)
But if you have any interest in the internet, language, linguistics, or what makes memes so popular, then this book may teach you something.
(I didn't quite make it and had to put my Kindle on Airplane Mode to prevent the book from disappearing... I even lost some of my final chapter highlights since I was highlighting off-line.)
The book felt like something this part-time proofreader would love—a study of language and how it's changing with the rise of the internet!
⌒°(❛ᴗ❛)°⌒
And, while parts of the book were fascinating reads, other parts felt—I can't quite remember... (THIS is why I usually try to write these reviews right when I finish reading!).
The book takes an academic-like approach—presenting an idea or thesis, citing research (NOTE: the footnotes here weren't as fun to read as those in [a:Ken Jennings|45003|Ken Jennings|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353968375p2/45003.jpg]'s [b:Planet Funny|36373629|Planet Funny How Comedy Took Over Our Culture|Ken Jennings|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527540331l/36373629._SY75_.jpg|58060881]), drawing conclusions—but I feel like sometimes the chapters got kind of stuck in a rut... Two or three pages went by and McCulloch was still repeating the same point again and again instead of providing new examples or moving the argument forward? (I think that sort of summarizes my disappointment and what kept it from being 5*)
(ಥ﹏ಥ)
But if you have any interest in the internet, language, linguistics, or what makes memes so popular, then this book may teach you something.