Against The Machine: Being Human in the Era of the Electronic Mob

New
Paperback
2008
$9.68

Against the Machine is a fascinating look at how the Internet is reshaping the way we think about ourselves and the world. Siegel explores how the internet affects culture and social life, particularly the psychological, emotional and social cost of high-tech solitude. Arguing that the internet's widespread anonymity eliminates boundaries and encourages otherwise polite people to be downright abusive, Siegel discusses the half-fantasy, half-realism of online personae. By experiencing virtual selves rather than other individuals, we run the risk of being reduced to avatars that other internet users manipulate for their own ends. Insightful and written with convincing evidence to support the author's polemic, this book is a welcome addition to the debate on the personal ramifications of living in a wired world.

Synopsis

"Against the Machine" is a fascinating look at how the Internet is reshaping the way we think about ourselves and the world. Siegel explores how the internet affects culture and social life, particularly the psychological, emotional and social cost of high-tech solitude. Arguing that the internet's widespread anonymity eliminates boundaries and encourages otherwise polite people to be downright abusive, Siegel discusses the half-fantasy, half-realism of online personae. By experiencing virtual selves rather than other individuals, we run the risk of being reduced to avatars that other internet users manipulate for their own ends. Insightful and written with convincing evidence to support the author's polemic, this book is a welcome addition to the debate on the personal ramifications of living in a wired world.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Published: 21 May 2008
ISBN 10: 1846686970
ISBN 13: 9781846686979

Media Reviews

One of the country's most eloquent and acid-tongued cultural critics. -- Deborah Solomon * New York Times *
The worldwide web is, for Siegel, essentially an optical illusion, an infinite hall of mirrors in which atomised, self-broadcasting individuals are really just staring at themselves * Prospect *
This witty and intelligent polemic looks at how being online makes us more disconnected. * Scotland on Sunday *
One of the heroic few. * Guardian *
To read him is to be reminded of what criticism used to aspire to in terms of range, learning, high standards, and good writing and - dare one say it? - values. -- David Rieff
In every case, Siegel is wildly and satisfyingly unpredictable. -- Janet Malcolm
Savour his vigorous prose, and prepare to be surprised -- Pete Hammill
Siegel is a zigzagging cultural omnivore... a confrontational enthusiast... an expert demolisher of critical group-think * New York Observer *

Author Bio

The author of Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television, Lee Siegel is a cultual commentator and art critic. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.