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Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob
Lee Siegel

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Andrea Learned, May 20, 2008

Siegel tells it like no one else has yet - and I hope he is not the last to write about this topic. He points out that knowledge is different than information (information being what the Internet serves up and knowledge being what contributes to wisdom) and he offers up much due criticism of the 24/7 news cycle (the airport gate waiting area always comes to my mind - exactly who decided all passengers wanted to be blown away by CNN?): "The manic news cycle, in which the hottest, newest stories immediately give way to hotter, newer stories, gives its audience the illusion that they and the world they live in are ageless. Information has become fashion cycles for the mind."

He criticizes the blog realm for it being solely (pretty much) a popularity contest, and on and on with points that will likely resonate with a lot of readers (even bloggers). I recommend this book as a counterpoint and voice of reason for anyone who's had the sneaking suspicion that information overkill isn't necessarily a positive cultural development.

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