Utopia Is Creepy: And Other Provocations

This book is a collection of entries on the ever-increasing speed of advances in computing, networks and other technologies. Because the chapters are adapted from writings spanning a decade or more, they reflect on developments while they occurred, giving a unique perspective to the insights; often correcting urban myths that are generated by the captains of industry/technology to mythologized themselves and their intent. The author presents a birds eye view of the Internet and casts away our the illusion that it grants extended control over our lives. He sees it as a useful appliance, but also a method of corporate control; our feeling of agency is unreal. Instead, it turns us into tools of manipulation and means of wealth accumulation for the elite. The Internet is not something we consume. Instead, we are "sharecroppers"; means of production providing things to be harvested for the enrichment of elites. Rather than consumers, we are the ones consumed; our attention, our illusion of choice, and any delusion of seeing objective representations of the real world. In the past, purveyors of information relied on parochialism to narrow our view of the world. Current internet moguls rely on the illusion of a global view to enhance a parochial view. The wider angle only funnels us into cramped corridors that shuffle us closer to retailers. Instead of a wide angled view of the world, the Internet is a convex two-way mirror. Objects appear larger to us while we are made smaller and more easily captured by those on the other side peering at us. Thus, we are delivered on a platter to people who pay the moguls to obtain us; it's is a modern slave trading operation with a virtual illusion of never having been snatched away from our own lives.Anyone watching people on the street can witness this enslavement as people exercise, jog, push strollers, commute, walk their dogs, attend recitals, or eat at restaurants; all with their heads bowed in irreverent homage to their new master, with little attention allotted to where they are, what they are doing, or who they are with. We are all now the people that 1984 Apple Super Bowl commercial for the first Mac; mesmerized, narcotizad and available for harvesting by the techno-elite.

This is a fine read: ingenious, nicely written, full of insights and humor. I enjoyed it thoroughly and, particularly, the following paragraph inspired me: "The millions of people who write ...book reviews for Amazon don't get paid for their labor, but the content they create is a valuable asset for the companies.It's a modern kind of sharecropping system." ( pg. 29 of the Kindle edition)A thought that speaks for itself !

This was one of the best books I have read in years. Anyone who is interested in the role of technology, particularly information technology, in our lives and it's threats and limitations - as well as potential, this is as good of a read as you will find. Carr is a masterful writer, a great researcher and clear thinker. He's not 'drank the cool-aid' of the tech world, but knows what it smells like.

Nicholas Carr is so perceptive. His humor makes this very readable... but the creepiness and his insight to addiction to technology becomes quite obvious. Combined with his book "The Shallows" this is must reading for any generation.

I loved this book. It reads like a skeptical history of the internet. At times I laughed out loud - I was a young teenager when Myspace first came out, and that chapter had me in fits. Mostly it made me sit and challenge the technological world around me in a way I haven't before. I keep coming back to my Kindle copy and re-reading the sections I highlighted. Some portions are outdated, obviously, since we live in the internet age where everything is constantly evolving, updating, and upgrading, but his core message still resonates. Utopia is very creepy!

This book has no one singular train of thought. I understand that it is about tech from the past and more modern tech. But each chapter focuses on a completly differnt topic that makes it actually hard to read because some chapters are just meaningless and boring. Thus making it difficult to want to continue on and read more. If i didnt have to read this for school i would have never made it past the first 50 pages.

A truly delightful and often thought provoking hop, skip and jump through various aspects of technology and our personal and society's love/hate relationships with it.

Informative

made up from a collection of blogs - can be very funny. Personally I prefer a book not to be made up from blogs.

Another brilliant work of Nicholas Carr, what more can I say!

Nachdem ich bereits Does IT matter ? und Abgehängt gelesen habe bin ich nun beim Lesen von Utopia.Er veranschaulicht drastisch die immer stärker werdende Einflussnahme der Technik auf uns - und gipfelt in der Frage Wenn die Entwicklung so weiter geht - wofür brauchen wir eigentlich noch den Mensch.Werden wir degradiert auf Arbeiten die der Computer (noch ) nicht lösen kann .

The book is a collection of favourite blog posts. I did not find the style engaging or the opinions and information surprising or new--just a collection of one to two page opinions. Summary: "Meh!"

If Utopia is indeed creepy, this collection of articles is creepy too. It is not the only rumination about the wonderful world waiting for us as being engineered by believers in tech progress without limits and ethics. But Mr Carr has some kind of humour, common sense, deep understanding, multi practices, and wide cultural references.Not to throw the baby with but to be an conscious human being who loves to be and to exist.To read in the morning before starting your day as a cyborg. Good luck...