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Pettman, Dominic

Infinite Distraction

Pettman, Dominic - Infinite Distraction, ebook

56,00€

Ebook, ePUB with Adobe DRM
ISBN: 9781509502301
DRM Restrictions

Printing42 pages with an additional page accrued every 18 hours, capped at 42 pages
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It is often argued that contemporary media homogenize our thoughts and actions, without us being fully aware of the restrictions they impose. But what if the problem is not that we are all synchronized to the same motions or moments, but rather dispersed into countless different emotional micro-experiences? What if the effect of so-called social media is to calibrate the interactive spectacle so that we never fully feel the same way as other potential allies at the same time? While one person is fuming about economic injustice or climate change denial, another is giggling at a cute cat video. And, two hours late, vice versa. The nebulous indignation which constitutes the very fuel of true social change can be redirected safely around the network, avoiding any dangerous surges of radical activity.

In this short and provocative book, Dominic Pettman examines the deliberate deployment of what he calls 'hypermodulation,' as a key strategy encoded into the contemporary media environment. His account challenges the various narratives that portray social media as a sinister space of synchronized attention, in which we are busily “clicking ourselves to death.” This critical reflection on the unprecedented power of the Internet requires us to rethink the potential for infinite distraction that our latest technologies now allow.

Keywords: internet, internet studies, social networks, blogs, General Philosophy, Internet General, Critical Theory, General Philosophy, Internet General, Critical Theory

Author(s)
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Publication year
2016
Language
en
Edition
1
Imprint
Polity
Series
Theory Redux
Page amount
140 pages
Category
Philosophy
Format
Ebook
eISBN (ePUB)
9781509502301
Printed ISBN
9781509502271

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