nightwater32's review against another edition
4.0
Written in the early 90s, it's a bit out of touch with modern technology or the even wider divide that computers and the internet have created, but much of what he has to say is overall still the same and perhaps in some ways even more relevant. It was interesting to read about some of the television shows and remembering when I watched them. The parallels of television and our disinterest in the greater world and nature is even more an issue now, and if people can get past the dated references, then it's still a good book to read.
drsdon's review against another edition
4.0
I've read pieces by McKibben before, who is renowned environmentalist; this is the first book of his that I have read. The book, written in the early 1990s, is a time capsule of a sort that, due to the direction of contemporary society, made for absolutely fascinating reading.
McKibben contrast two days - one day spent watching nothing but television (he actually had all the shows on all channels on a Virginia cable network recorded for 24 hours and watched all of them); the other day a day spent in nature. McKibben's premise, which he does an effective job establishing in his writing - is that the television age, which supposedly promised increase access to information and knowledge and learning, is actually resulting in learning loss. We have lost the information and knowledge that comes from being able to reflect peacefully and quietly in the woods; the information that comes from gathering in community with others as opposed to remaining in isolation watching television. McKibben suggests that as television (and particularly, commercials) increased its presence we never stopped to ask if the trade off was worth it.
For McKibben, it clearly is not. He sees television as the pure promotion of individualism - telling each viewer that he or she is the most important person in the world. Such claims are inherently absurd when living in community or living within our natural world.
Again, the time capsule of the book was fascinating, as was attempting to extrapolate what McKibben's thoughts would be on the development of personal internet into Western homes, followed by the rise of the smart phone. It seems that the same mistake has been made - there was no questioning if the trade off was worth it, no concern about what information and knowledge we would lose as technology increased, and the failure to drive real community building.
It's hard to read this book without immediately becoming more curious - to immediately inquire of one self - what knowledge or information have I lost because of how technology (and my acceptance of it) has changed the world. Informative, incredibly thought-provoking read, that seems as timely as ever despite being written 30 years ago.
McKibben contrast two days - one day spent watching nothing but television (he actually had all the shows on all channels on a Virginia cable network recorded for 24 hours and watched all of them); the other day a day spent in nature. McKibben's premise, which he does an effective job establishing in his writing - is that the television age, which supposedly promised increase access to information and knowledge and learning, is actually resulting in learning loss. We have lost the information and knowledge that comes from being able to reflect peacefully and quietly in the woods; the information that comes from gathering in community with others as opposed to remaining in isolation watching television. McKibben suggests that as television (and particularly, commercials) increased its presence we never stopped to ask if the trade off was worth it.
For McKibben, it clearly is not. He sees television as the pure promotion of individualism - telling each viewer that he or she is the most important person in the world. Such claims are inherently absurd when living in community or living within our natural world.
Again, the time capsule of the book was fascinating, as was attempting to extrapolate what McKibben's thoughts would be on the development of personal internet into Western homes, followed by the rise of the smart phone. It seems that the same mistake has been made - there was no questioning if the trade off was worth it, no concern about what information and knowledge we would lose as technology increased, and the failure to drive real community building.
It's hard to read this book without immediately becoming more curious - to immediately inquire of one self - what knowledge or information have I lost because of how technology (and my acceptance of it) has changed the world. Informative, incredibly thought-provoking read, that seems as timely as ever despite being written 30 years ago.
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