The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection

The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection

“In this eloquent and thought-provoking book, Michael Harris argues that amid all the changes we’re experiencing, the most interesting is the one that future generations will find hardest to grasp. That is the end of absence—the loss of lack. The daydreaming silences in our lives are filled; the burning solitudes are extinguished. There’s no true “free time” when you carry a smartphone. Today’s rarest commodity is the chance to be alone with your own thoughts.”

Amazon:

256 pages

$17.04

Rating: 4.2/5

WorldCat:

334 libraries

Subject:

    Information society.

    Information technology -- Social aspects.

    Internet -- Social aspects.

    Technology -- Social aspects.

    SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General.

    COMPUTERS / Social Aspects / General.

    PSYCHOLOGY / Social Psychology.

Google Books:

19 reviews (3/5 star average)

Library Thing:

Members: 34

Popularity: 329,500

Rating: 4.5/5

Intertwingled: Information Changes Everything

“This is a book about everything. Or, to be precise, it explores how everything is connected from code to culture. We think we're designing software, services, and experiences, but we're not. We are intervening in ecosystems. Until we open our minds, we will forever repeat our mistakes. In this spirited tour of information architecture and systems thinking, Peter Morville connects the dots between authority, Buddhism, classification, synesthesia, quantum entanglement, and volleyball. In 1974 when Ted Nelson wrote "everything is deeply intertwingled," he hoped we might realize the true potential of hypertext and cognition. This book follows naturally from that.”

Amazon:

198 pages

$20.25

Rating: 4.0/5

WorldCat:

7 libraries

Subject:              

Information organization.

Google Books:

No results

Library Thing:

Members: 1

Popularity: 3,689,591

Rating: none

Disconnected: Youth, New Media, and the Ethics Gap

“Fresh from a party, a teen posts a photo on Facebook of a friend drinking a beer. A college student repurposes an article from Wikipedia for a paper. A group of players in a multiplayer online game routinely cheat new players by selling them worthless virtual accessories for high prices. In Disconnected, Carrie James examines how young people and the adults in their lives think about these sorts of online dilemmas, describing ethical blind spots and disconnects.”

Amazon:

200 pages

$18.60

Rating: none

WorldCat:

4 libraries

Subject:              

    Internet and youth.

    Internet -- Moral and ethical aspects.

    Parental influences.

Google Books:

Shows up

No reviews

Library Thing:

Members: 1

Popularity: 3,689,591

Rating: none

I decided finally on “The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection” because though all three books seemed extremely insightful and interesting, this one had the most online buzz and seemed to be deemed higher in intellectual circles than the other two. I find the subject matter really interesting, especially with the focus on social media and constant connections in the digital age today. I was also excited to see psychology and social science as two of the subjects in WorldCat because I find the link between human psychology/sociology and the Information Society very interesting.