I thought Present Shock was an interesting, but had the feeling of a textbook. There was so much information within the book, that it was hard to realize which points were really important ( The same goes for all of the examples he used ). I also did not like how the book was simply split into five chapters, which were then divided again into sections. Despite my dislike for the format of the book, Rushkoff was able to discuss important topics and shed some light on valuable information. I personally believed Rushkoff's view on chapter 5 was insightful. I had never realized the true effects of present shock until Rushkoff explained how end of the world scenarios occur, "The hardest part of living in present shock is that there's no end and, for that matter, no beginning. ti's a chronic plateau of interminable stresses that seem to have always been there. There's no original source to blame and no end in sight. this is why the return to simplicity offered by the most extreme scenarios is proving so alluring to so many of us" (Rushkoff 247). I always thought these type of scenarios only occurred by someone posting a blog or article on the internet saying the world and civilization as we know it would end by said means in order to obtain more viewers/followers.
This is similar to what was said in the West Wing special Issac and Ishamel. In the show, the actors explain how many believed society would collapse when we as a civilization reached the year 2000. An idea was spread that terrorists would have a massive attack ready right when the clock struck twelve. Though this did not actually occur, it is quite obvious now that the cause of such a belief was present shock. Situations like this is where I realize how important it was to read present shock and its affects on society, and although I did not personally like the book as a whole, it brought up many key points.
Rushkoff, Douglas. Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now. New York: Current, 2013. E-book.
I completely agree Bryan, I also felt it was difficult to pick out what was important from the overwhelming overload of information. While I enjoyed many of the topics covered in the book(algorithms, time binding, and doomsday theories), I thought that structure of the novel made the overload of information even more overwhelming. The connections you made between The West Wing episode and Present Shock, and more specifically, Apocalypto were very insightful. I had completely forgot about the apocalypse theories from 2000 and had not thought about how they relate to "present shock". I agree that while reading Present Shock at times I had no idea why I was reading it but it is starting to make sense. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about the book not being wholly organized well. I recall reading the first chapter, which had little concrete viewpoints, and thinking that the book was an incoherent mess. Personally, if I had been reading the book on my own, I would have discarded it. I don't know whether you read the physical copy of the book, or the electronic copy, but while reading the electronic copy (yes, I understand the irony), I remember accidentally going to the "next chapter," which was really the next section, causing me to lose my place and my sanity at the same time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, although the book had formatting flaws, I agree with your sentiments on Chapter 5 detailing the desire to have an ending or catharsis, and how it was eye opening. I enjoy your points and thoughts!
I definitely agree on your point about all of the information. I found myself taking 16 pages of notes! It was hard to take the test while digging through all of the pages of notes to search for information. Chapter 5 was interesting, and I like how you related it to the terrorism discussed in the West Wing episode.
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