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"Program or Be Programmed" by Douglas Rushkoff

book review by Riley Burnham 3/13/2023

good stuff; short & sweet

basically discussing the ins & outs of our modern relationship w/ digital technology, & offers ways to "get ahead" of the tech rather than allowing oneself to be "programmed" by it

some of this is about how digital music, for instance, has less information than analog & is subliminally interpreted differently

also discussed is how people have started losing the line between their "digital life" & "real life," in that friendships are weakened & superficial

another topic here is the semi-permanency of cloud-computing, in that when people post or express things online, they can be retrieved seemingly indefinitely, which of course can impact people's quality of relationships & careers

he describes the positive consequences of requiring registration in relation to forums & online conversations, determining that anonymous posting generally brings out the worst in people, & the opposite contrary -- using real names & registering tends to raise the quality & candor