Fast, Easy but Beware of the Potholes...American culture critic Lee Siegel offers up a compelling critique of the Internet and all of the services we use every day (websites, blogs, wikis, email) in Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob.
In short form, Siegel skillfully argues that the Internet is not a virtual world paradise that connects us to each other in real world terms. Rather, the Internet has an underbelly that promotes isolation, anonymous bullying, invasions of privacy, and mainstream acceptance of unsavory, if not illegal practices (plagiarism, pornography).
Siegel's is a short and very readable book but don't expect any punches to be pulled -- not even with Comedy Central's John Stewart. Siegel's book is available at our library.
