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Irresistible
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked | Adam Alter
Welcome to the age of behavioral addictionan age in which half of the American population is addicted to at least one behavior. We obsess over our emails, Instagram likes, and Facebook feeds; we binge on TV episodes and YouTube videos; we work longer hours each year; and we spend an average of three hours each day using our smartphones. Half of us would rather suffer a broken bone than a broken phone, and Millennial kids spend so much time in front of screens that they struggle to interact with real, live humans. In this revolutionary book, Adam Alter, a professor of psychology and marketing at NYU, tracks the rise of behavioral addiction, and explains why so many of today's products are irresistible. Though these miraculous products melt the miles that separate people across the globe, their extraordinary and sometimes damaging magnetism is no accident. The companies that design these products tweak them over time until they become almost impossible to resist. By reverse engineering behavioral addiction, Alter explains how we can harness addictive products for the goodto improve how we communicate with each other, spend and save our money, and set boundaries between work and playand how we can mitigate their most damaging effects on our well-being, and the health and happiness of our children. Adam Alter's previous book, Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave is available in paperback from Penguin.
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GoneFishing

In 2000, Microsoft Canada reported that the average human had an attention span of twelve seconds; by 2013 that number had fallen to eight seconds. (According to Microsoft, a goldfish, by comparison, has an average attention span of nine seconds.)

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peacegypsy
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Are you addicted to your smartphone? 🧐

Redwritinghood Absolutely. 5y
20 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Andrea93
Pickpick

Great

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geodynamical_nonfiction
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You have been in many random controlled experiments without knowing it, sometimes carried out by code, so who's responsible? Your taps, clicks, purchases, and gameplay duration are all tracked and modeled. You better believe that everything that can be engineered to get you hooked, will be. #ethics #tech #nonfiction

Cinfhen Sounds interesting 7y
29 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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LadyVB
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Pickpick

This book has changed my life. I work in technology and I am always "connected" or in front of a screen. This book really made me realise the detrimental effects of always being online. It's so interesting how addictions form and how everything can become an addiction. It covers gaming, binge watching series, work, exercise to name a few. Alter has definitely opened my eyes.

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AudiobooksToday
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Pickpick

Half of Americans are addicted to at least one behavior. We obsess over our emails, #Instagram likes, and #Facebook feeds; we binge on #TV episodes and #YouTube videos; and we spend an average of three hours each day using our smartphones. In this revolutionary book, Adam Alter, a professor of #psychology and marketing at NYU, tracks the rise of behavioral addiction, and explains why so many of today's products are irresistible. TowerReview.com

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Lindy
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Pickpick

Lots of food for thought in this exploration of behaviour psychology and technology. Gamification adds worthwhile alternatives to traditional medical care, education and charitable giving, but its dangers include exploiting human motivation for financial gain. I liked hearing about innovative companies who do things like disable work email accounts at night so their employees get a break. #Audiobook capably narrated by the author.

51 likes4 stack adds
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Lindy
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I've just learned an interesting thing with regards to #cliffhangers: it's the Zeigarnik effect. "Incomplete experiences occupy our minds far more than completed ones." I prefer books with unresolved endings and I read because I like to have food for my thoughts. I can see now how these two things go together so well.

45 likes2 stack adds
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Lindy
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This audiobook about the addictive nature of technology has prompted me to spend more time just hanging out in my garden, unplugged.

saresmoore Mmm, it looks heavenly! 7y
Lindy @saresmoore Yup. Currently watching a hare nibble campanula sprouts in the front garden; it's a weed I'm trying to eradicate, so she's helping me out. 🐇🌱 7y
ReadingEnvy So peaceful! 7y
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Lindy @ReadingEnvy I feel so lucky. Lots of birds. A few lawnmowers in the distance. 😊 7y
shawnmooney Yes! 7y
diovival Great pic! 7y
Lindy @diovival Thanks! 7y
58 likes7 comments
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Pruzy
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Mehso-so

Irresistible by Adam Alter, which comments on the rise of addictive technologies, is unmemorable. While there are the occasional interesting idea or story, most of the ideas or stories are reiterations of ones we've all heard before. Perhaps as someone who has grown up with technology I am not the target audience for this book. I think an individual who was not aware of recent developments in tech could benefit from this book. Otherwise, skip it.

DaydreamingBookworm Thanks for the review. I'm trying to find something to read for the technology category for Bookriot's #readharder challenge. 8y
79 likes3 comments