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Laddar... The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us (utgåvan 2012)av Nora Young (Författare)
VerksinformationThe Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us av Nora Young
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Gå med i LibraryThing för att få reda på om du skulle tycka om den här boken. Det finns inga diskussioner på LibraryThing om den här boken. "As an editor and a student of Communications, I was intrigued by the hype around Nora YoungÃôs new book. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to continue reading The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us, and I never actually finished it. My main issues with it are: repetition, the concept of ÂÃúso what?ÂÃù, and the general organization. However, the tone and writing style is very conversational and accessible, very much like Nora YoungÂÃôs show Spark on CBC Radio. I will admit that repetition and general organization of the book go hand-in-hand, and sometimes it was the colloquial tone that attributed to the repetition. However, this doesnÂÃôt excuse the fact that the book has little directionÂÃîshe spends the first half of the book talking about self-tracking and how we do this, and a bit of the ÂÃòwhyÂÃô. But she doesnÂÃôt go much deeper. At the end of the first chapter (p.32) Nora poses all the questions that have been bugging me so far: why we do this, what are the consequences, how does this change our relationships, etc. And then she creates the cardinal sin of essays: she doesnÂÃôt answer the question next. I understand that this is a tactic used to further engage readers, to dangle this carrot of a possibility so that we keep reading. However, in my opinion, if youÂÃôre still dangling these carrot-ledes at 30 pages into a 200 page book, something is wrong. By the end of the first chapter, readers should have a clear view of what the scope of the book is about, what the current situation is, and why it is important. The remainder of the book should build on this foundation. So, in the hopes that Nora was building (albiet slowly and painfully simply) I continued to read. By the start of chapter six (pg. 115) I was starting to lose it. ÂÃúWe talked about the factorsÂÃîtechnological, psychological and culturalÂÃîthat have come together for this new era of self-tracking to tack off.ÂÃù Um Âö. no, we really havenÂÃôt. I cannot agree with this statement. You mentioned some history of technology, and some psychological desires, and a shift in cultural practices, but there has been no in-depth discussion of the WHY behind the factors. ÂÃúWHY?! SO WHAT!?ÂÃù If I were editing this, I would write nicely in the margins in green ink (because itÂÃôs nicer than angry red ink): ÂÃúbut why is this important?ÂÃù Perhaps it is my current mindset in academia, or my editor background, but I want stronger correlations, sources cited (or even just footnotes), and more in-depth analysis of the consequences. Young mentions this growing need to track our time (pg.22) but never addresses the question of ÂÃòdo we need toÂÃô or ÂÃòwhy do we feel we need toÂÃô. She simply mentions that we feel this growing need. BUT WHY?!? At one point, I actually wrote in the margin (in pencil which I erased after writing this blog post) ÂÃúso what?ÂÃù Read my full review (less ranty) on my blog: http://www.monniblog.com/2012/08/the-virtual-self-nora-young-book-review/" inga recensioner | lägg till en recension
"The host of CBC Radio's Spark explores the very real impact of the virtual information we generate about ourselves -- on our own lives, our communities, and our government. We generate enormous amounts of online data about our habits: where we go, what we do, and how we feel. Some of that is stuff we choose to report; some of it is the offhand data trails we leave behind. The Virtual Self looks at the debates and challenges around virtual data-sharing -- from Facebook status updates to Google Navigator -- and its potential for building more responsive communities and governments. Nora argues that if we wrestle now with issues like privacy and data control, we can harness the power of that data. The host of CBC Radio's Spark, Nora Young has fascinating information at her disposal, unique insights into the intersection of the virtual and real worlds, and a wonderful voice for making all of these clear to a general audience. Accessible and entertaining, The Virtual Self takes that personal, psychological reality of everything from email to status updates and teases out the increasingly bigger impacts on the real world around us of the virtual information we all generate." -- Publisher's website. Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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Google Books — Laddar... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)303.48Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Social Processes Social change Causes of changeKlassifikation enligt LCBetygMedelbetyg:
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Young canvasses the potential benefits of digital self-tracking as well as many of the risks. She interacts with innovators, experts and activists from the digital realm to bring focus to her examination both on the technical end and on the philosophical end of the spectrum. Are we become the disembodied selves that Marshall McLuhan foresaw? Have we forfeited our development and growth to our virtual counterparts? Or are these digital avatars merely useful feedback mechanisms for our “real” selves?
There are real personal, social, and legal risks involved in proffering up so much intimate information about ourselves without a clear sense of who will be putting that data to use and how. Young does not shy away from these controversies, but neither does she succumb to anxiety about them. She thinks that we need clear-headed discussion of the kind of digital world we are creating, consciously or unconsciously, through our participation in these innovative forms of digital sharing. And she provides a useful entry into such a discussion. ( )