Another wk of ‘Community Cultures’. Here’s a thoughtful book review to help, if it’s all becoming addictive: https://t.co/uHEwf5e6UG #mscedc

As mentioned on a previous post, being here in ‘Community Cultures’ feels a bit like my own personal Groundhog Day. This review from the Guardian helps me settle into it:

My guess is that it’s not a completely new scenario. I expect (the book isn’t published yet) it will march in step with other commentators highlighting the early stages of digital incursions in our lives, and the need for vigilance.

I’m interested in the questions of design-for-addiction and, also, for connections with  a view of human nature as fundamentally erotic, as intended to love someone or something – and whether digital devices might be attuned to such longings. From memory, I don’t think he touched on digital cultures, but I’m thinking of this kind of book, from James K.A. Smith:

 

[That said, this is not just the digital. I remember standing in a supermarket queue over the weekend, and seeing this brand of yoghurt:

Seeing it, or hearing it? Somewhere in between. The brand label does try to function as a speech-act but is not quite as effective (for me, at least) as is often the case with electronic hardware. Somehow, I resisted the yoghurt.]

It can be vacuous to describe a book review as ‘thoughtful’, but I especially appreciated the penultimate paragraph from this review, which at least raised some question marks others might bring to this book. I’ll probably look to read this book when it comes out. Curious that it’s already a ‘best seller’ (below): the speed of digital capitalism is immense – and/or of its sale pitches.

 

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