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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.)

Are you addicted to your smartphone? 🧐

Great

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.