Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I must be an idiot but if this passes for intellectualism these days, I'm happy to remain that way. Not one thing in this book provides "food for thought" or an explanation of anything going on in today's world. It is a collection (I use that term loosely) of nonsensical essays that mostly details anecdotal and/or trivial facts from the last 20 years of mostly pop culture. If you really want to see the rant, you can check out my status updates. Reading this I had the feeling that I was turning bi-polar, at times I was really understanding his points and had a clear vision of what he was writing, but, at other times I was confused and couldn't see what he was trying to say. Chap. one; Narrative Collapse, great, two; Digiphrenia, ???, three; Overwinding, great, four; Fractalnoia, good, and five; Apocalypto, good. So, overall, four stars. Maybe one of the reasons I felt with what he wrote, and then against what he wrote is due to the constant blustering of the media on the Left and on the Right. Rushkoff doesn't fit in either group. He does present many great points, but then he seems to revert to the intellectual mode, lecturing us, as if the general public isn't aware what is going on in the world, but rather blithely and unthinkingly is passing through life. I can see his point though.
What do You think about Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now (2013)?
Very dry at times, and a little unorganized. Some interesting theories though...
—Emilynicole09
Very interesting perspective on today's technology and society.
—roxio
