Nora Young
Auteur de The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us
1+ oeuvres 33 utilisateurs 2 critiques
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Crédit image: Nora Young. Photo by Pam Lau.
Œuvres de Nora Young
The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us (2012) 33 exemplaires, 2 critiques
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Signalé
RandyMetcalfe | 1 autre critique | Jan 14, 2013 | "As an editor and a student of Communications, I was intrigued by the hype around Nora YoungÃôs new book. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to continue reading The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us, and I never actually finished it. My main issues with it are: repetition, the concept of ÂÃúso what?ÂÃù, and the general organization. However, the tone and writing style is very conversational and accessible, very much like Nora YoungÂÃôs show Spark on CBC Radio.
I will admit that repetition and general organization of the book go hand-in-hand, and sometimes it was the colloquial tone that attributed to the repetition. However, this doesnÂÃôt excuse the fact that the book has little directionÂÃîshe spends the first half of the book talking about self-tracking and how we do this, and a bit of the ÂÃòwhyÂÃô. But she doesnÂÃôt go much deeper.
At the end of the first chapter (p.32) Nora poses all the questions that have been bugging me so far: why we do this, what are the consequences, how does this change our relationships, etc. And then she creates the cardinal sin of essays: she doesnÂÃôt answer the question next. I understand that this is a tactic used to further engage readers, to dangle this carrot of a possibility so that we keep reading. However, in my opinion, if youÂÃôre still dangling these carrot-ledes at 30 pages into a 200 page book, something is wrong. By the end of the first chapter, readers should have a clear view of what the scope of the book is about, what the current situation is, and why it is important. The remainder of the book should build on this foundation. So, in the hopes that Nora was building (albiet slowly and painfully simply) I continued to read.
By the start of chapter six (pg. 115) I was starting to lose it. ÂÃúWe talked about the factorsÂÃîtechnological, psychological and culturalÂÃîthat have come together for this new era of self-tracking to tack off.ÂÃù Um Âö. no, we really havenÂÃôt. I cannot agree with this statement. You mentioned some history of technology, and some psychological desires, and a shift in cultural practices, but there has been no in-depth discussion of the WHY behind the factors. ÂÃúWHY?! SO WHAT!?ÂÃù If I were editing this, I would write nicely in the margins in green ink (because itÂÃôs nicer than angry red ink): ÂÃúbut why is this important?ÂÃù
Perhaps it is my current mindset in academia, or my editor background, but I want stronger correlations, sources cited (or even just footnotes), and more in-depth analysis of the consequences. Young mentions this growing need to track our time (pg.22) but never addresses the question of ÂÃòdo we need toÂÃô or ÂÃòwhy do we feel we need toÂÃô. She simply mentions that we feel this growing need. BUT WHY?!? At one point, I actually wrote in the margin (in pencil which I erased after writing this blog post) ÂÃúso what?ÂÃù
Read my full review (less ranty) on my blog: http://www.monniblog.com/2012/08/the-virtual-self-nora-young-book-review/"… (plus d'informations)
I will admit that repetition and general organization of the book go hand-in-hand, and sometimes it was the colloquial tone that attributed to the repetition. However, this doesnÂÃôt excuse the fact that the book has little directionÂÃîshe spends the first half of the book talking about self-tracking and how we do this, and a bit of the ÂÃòwhyÂÃô. But she doesnÂÃôt go much deeper.
At the end of the first chapter (p.32) Nora poses all the questions that have been bugging me so far: why we do this, what are the consequences, how does this change our relationships, etc. And then she creates the cardinal sin of essays: she doesnÂÃôt answer the question next. I understand that this is a tactic used to further engage readers, to dangle this carrot of a possibility so that we keep reading. However, in my opinion, if youÂÃôre still dangling these carrot-ledes at 30 pages into a 200 page book, something is wrong. By the end of the first chapter, readers should have a clear view of what the scope of the book is about, what the current situation is, and why it is important. The remainder of the book should build on this foundation. So, in the hopes that Nora was building (albiet slowly and painfully simply) I continued to read.
By the start of chapter six (pg. 115) I was starting to lose it. ÂÃúWe talked about the factorsÂÃîtechnological, psychological and culturalÂÃîthat have come together for this new era of self-tracking to tack off.ÂÃù Um Âö. no, we really havenÂÃôt. I cannot agree with this statement. You mentioned some history of technology, and some psychological desires, and a shift in cultural practices, but there has been no in-depth discussion of the WHY behind the factors. ÂÃúWHY?! SO WHAT!?ÂÃù If I were editing this, I would write nicely in the margins in green ink (because itÂÃôs nicer than angry red ink): ÂÃúbut why is this important?ÂÃù
Perhaps it is my current mindset in academia, or my editor background, but I want stronger correlations, sources cited (or even just footnotes), and more in-depth analysis of the consequences. Young mentions this growing need to track our time (pg.22) but never addresses the question of ÂÃòdo we need toÂÃô or ÂÃòwhy do we feel we need toÂÃô. She simply mentions that we feel this growing need. BUT WHY?!? At one point, I actually wrote in the margin (in pencil which I erased after writing this blog post) ÂÃúso what?ÂÃù
Read my full review (less ranty) on my blog: http://www.monniblog.com/2012/08/the-virtual-self-nora-young-book-review/"… (plus d'informations)
Signalé
monnibo | 1 autre critique | Nov 9, 2012 | Vous aimerez peut-être aussi
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Young canvasses the potential benefits of digital self-tracking as well as many of the risks. She interacts with innovators, experts and activists from the digital realm to bring focus to her examination both on the technical end and on the philosophical end of the spectrum. Are we become the disembodied selves that Marshall McLuhan foresaw? Have we forfeited our development and growth to our virtual counterparts? Or are these digital avatars merely useful feedback mechanisms for our “real” selves?
There are real personal, social, and legal risks involved in proffering up so much intimate information about ourselves without a clear sense of who will be putting that data to use and how. Young does not shy away from these controversies, but neither does she succumb to anxiety about them. She thinks that we need clear-headed discussion of the kind of digital world we are creating, consciously or unconsciously, through our participation in these innovative forms of digital sharing. And she provides a useful entry into such a discussion.… (plus d'informations)