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Title details for Everything Bad is Good for You by Steven Johnson - Available

Everything Bad is Good for You

by Steven Johnson
Jason Culp
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Mind Wide Open comes a groundbreaking assessment of popular culture as it's never been considered before: through the lens of intelligence.Forget everything you’ve ever read about the age of dumbed-down, instant-gratification culture. In this provocative, unfailingly intelligent, thoroughly researched, and surprisingly convincing book, Steven Johnson draws from fields as diverse as neuroscience, economics, and media theory to argue that the pop culture we soak in every day—from Lord of the Rings to Grand Theft Auto to The Simpsons—has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably sharper. You will never regard the glow of the video game or television screen the same way again.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 2, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781101979136
      • File size: 177034 KB
      • Duration: 06:08:49

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Johnson's insights into the increasing complexity of popular culture will raise the eyebrows of many critics. Narrator Jason Culp's deep, slightly scratchy voice keeps listeners focused on the author's nuggets of wisdom. Johnson identifies substantial evidence showing that video games, television, the Internet, and other entertainment actually reflect a common culture that is smarter than it was 50 years ago and is becoming even more dynamic and demanding. Culp balances the seriousness of Johnson's claims with the excitement of what they mean for society. Culp also does well with his pacing and emphasis. As Johnson moves into different fields of knowledge, Culp provides appropriate emphasis to ensure listener understanding. L.E. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 4, 2005
      Worried about how much time your children spend playing video games? Don't be, advises Johnson—not only are they learning valuable problem-solving skills, they'd probably do better on an IQ test than you or your parents could at their age. Go ahead and let them watch more television, too, since even reality shows can function as "elaborately staged group psychology experiments" to stimulate rather than pacify the brain. With the same winning combination of personal revelation and friendly scientific explanation he displayed in last year's Mind Wide Open
      , Johnson shatters the conventional wisdom about pop culture as pabulum, showing how video games, television shows and movies have become increasingly complex. Furthermore, he says, consumers are drawn specifically to those products that require the most mental engagement, from small children who can't get enough of their favorite Disney DVDs to adults who find new layers of meaning with each repeated viewing of Seinfeld
      . Johnson lays out a strong case that what we do for fun is just as educational in its way as what we study in the classroom (although it's still worthwhile to encourage good reading habits, too). There's an important message here for every parent—one they should hear from the source before savvy kids (especially teens) try to take advantage of it. Agent, Lydia Wills at Paradigm.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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