Reviews

How to Thrive in the Digital Age by Tom Chatfield

sofiacostalima's review

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This is not a book about answers but it gives us a lot to think about.

nithou's review

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4.0

Un petit livre qui a l'immense mérite d'offrir une vue nuancée sur la question de notre relation au digital et son impact sur nos vies. Très loin des voix qui hurlent que le digital nous rend stupides, paresseux, ou qu'il ne sert à rien, ce livre offre une vision nuancée sans angélisme nous permettant de nous rendre compte de ce que le digital est au fond : un outil très puissant, duquel il ne faut pas oublier qu'il n'est jamais au fond qu'un outil. Et que nous sommes seuls responsables de son usage.

leaton01's review

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4.0

This is a great book that provides a range of perspectives on living in the digital age without losing it in the digital age. He performs a good balance of viewpoints about the benefits and the perils along with great additional resources to follow up with (my nerd moment of the book was listening to the different recommended reading and realizing that I read at least half of the books).

If you enjoyed this review, feel free to check out my other reviews and writings at By Any Other Nerd/

carpe_librum's review

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hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

A delightful and hopeful read regarding the internet. This could be a required reading for communication majors. I mean, I would appreciate this reading assignment.

grannykenny's review

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3.0

Arguments are very surface level as most are explained in a chapter (or skimmed in a single paragraph). The most interesting thing was actually the last part which consists of book selection for further reading.

brutalbambi's review

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3.0

Main takeaway from the book regarding online versus offline life: "Simply deploring one or the other helps nobody, for each represents a different set of possibilities for thought and action. Rather, we must learn to ask- and teach our children to ask- which aspects of a task, and of living are best served by each. And we must find ways of effectively building each into our way of life."

yulisato's review

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4.0

A quick but insightful read which presents 8 arguments all revolving around “the cultural, political and ethical values implicated in the emerging facts of digital technology.”
Particularly thought-provoking is merely reflecting on the social and political changes/events which have taken place over the last seven years since this book was first published. Technology moves so quickly that some of Chatfield’s notes almost feel like ancient history, but that fact simply made this book even more interesting to read today.

salome_esteves's review

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3.0

"How to thrive in the Digital Age" provides a clear and realistic perspective of what our lives, both individual and in our communities, are like today. Well, in 2011. It is not a genius approach to the subject matter, but it is filled with great details and useful information. It is very easy and light to read, and the discourse is higly relatable.

pandemoniumpizza's review

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2.0

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from this book but whatever it was I didn't get it. This book was alright but I didn't feel like I learned anything new or even found the information to be presented in a really great way.

hzboy's review

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3.0

I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia

Since the invention of writing more than five millennia ago, the world has been transformed by what the American sociologist Daniel Bell called "intellectual technologies": technologies that allow us to extend our minds in much the same way as weapons and clothing extend the power of our bodies.


Membaca sekilas judulnya, aku sempat berpikir bahwa buku ini akan membahas bagaimana caranya memanfaatkan teknologi untuk memaksimalkan hidup kita. Sama seperti buku-buku pengembangan diri yang mengambil sudut pandang teknologi.

Buku ini dibuka dengan sejarah perihal teknologi. Perlu dicatat, teknologi tidak serta merta merupakan perlatan yang berbentuk elektronik. Kegiatan menulis, mencatat, dan mengarsip juga dihitung sebagai teknologi sebagaimana kegiatan tersebut memudahkan manusia dalam beraktivitsa. Tom Chatfield sengaja membawa premis tentang masifnya internet ke dalam buku ini semata-mata untuk meningkatkan kewaspadaan manusia selama menggunakan teknologi.

Terbagi mejadi 8 bab bahasan, Chatfield tidak memaksa pembaca untuk melakukan apa yang ia sarankan. Melainkan memberikan pemahaman apa yang terjadi jika kita tidak berhati-hati di dunia maya (misal). Ia pun juga memberikan pemaparan mengenai cara kita mengonsumsi informasi dengan bantuan internet, terutama media sosial. Wajar saja jika kita disuguhkan suatu topik tertentu secara terus menerus sebab itulah yang dilakukan oleh kecerdasan buatan sebagai bentuk peningkatan pelayanannya.

Yang menarik adalah ketika Chatfield menganalogikan politik dalam dunia maya dengan distribusi pornografi. Ia mengatakan, kehadiran pornografi di dunia internet membuktikan bahwa apapun kesukaanmu, pasti akan terus menemukan "pasar"-nya. Begitu pula dengan politik. Ketika di sekeliling kita merasa bahwa tidak ada yang memiliki pandangan politik yang sama, tetapi begitu kita masuk ke dalam hutan rimba internet, akan muncul petunjuk yang menuntun menuju kumpulan orang-orang yang berpaham sama.

Like almost everything else in an age of ubiquitous technology, digital sex isn't just about looking: it's about seeking, connecting, and finding that you're not alone -- or that aloneness need no longer be dull if you have an internet connection.


Dengan hanya sekitar 150 halaman, buku ini membuktikan bahwa dugaanku salah. Cukup membukakan mata terkait beberapa hal di dunia digital namun dibawakan dengan ringan. Ahya, aku pribadi suka dengan beberapa referensi yang dikutip karena mengingatkanku pada masa-masa kuliah dulu.
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