Name: Laura Dobie's review of Irresistible by Adam Alter
Item: Irresistible
Rating: 3.5
Author: Laura Dobie

Adam Alter

Almost half of the developed population has an internet-based addiction. In some ways this is not surprising, as our world is filled with addictive experiences: from social media and messaging, to rolling news and video streaming. Attention spans are decreasing as our time spent glued to our screens are increasing, negatively affecting our ability to relax, sleep, develop relationships and achieve meaningful goals. Psychologist Adam Alter provides insight into why explains the science behind why we can't seem to stop such behaviour and offers practical advice for using technology differently, in order to lead a happier life, and to set yourself free. ‘This examination of today’s tech-zombie epidemic is worth putting your phone down for’ Guardian 'Essential reading... Regain control of your time, finances and relationships' Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit

Why We Can’t Stop Checking, Scrolling, Clicking and Watching

Irresistible

Adam L. Alter

"An ... investigation into behavioral addiction, the dark flipside of today's unavoidable digital technologies, and how we can turn the tide to regain control"--

The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked

Laura Dobie

Either you endure the anticlimax of succeeding, or you endure the disappointment of failing.

Zach Gallardo

An interesting exploration of behavioural addiction, the elements of technology that get us hooked, and its harms. It’s made me think about what I was getting from social media and has felt timely given I’m making a conscious effort to spend less time on Instagram. It’s perhaps a little lighter on the solutions side, but I liked the exploration of gamification as a means of developing good habits, and the potential pitfalls of turning certain activities into games.

Boothby

Focused on behavioral addiction, particularly technology-based addictions to phone usage, video games, email checking, and the broad behaviors of the constantly online. This book is very much in debt to Natasha Schull's ADDICTION BY DESIGN (and if you're deciding between the two of them, pick Schull). However, Alter does extend Schull's argument into the realm of casual tech use, which probably makes this book more relevant to more people.

The book's chief argument is a powerful one: that addiction is STRUCTURAL, not intrinsic to individual personality types or personal susceptibility. While he discusses severe behavioral addictions, his true interest in this book seems to be about how even mild behavioral addictions are damaging, and his book is Very well motivated by the point that while milder behavioral addictions are milder, because such a large proportion of the population has mild tech behavioral addictions, the issue of mild behavioral addictions is just as important. Since behavioral addictions are situational, these milder forms are even more insidious in some ways because there's no way to avoid them: e.g. people still have to check their email. When the context of technology addiction is in the usual spaces of daily life, it's nearly impossible to completely divest from.
The first two parts that define addiction and describe the components that make technologies addictive, respectively, were both excellent. In part three there's also a lot of practical, research-backed (attempted anyway) advice about limiting tech use in a productive way. Critiques the moralizing former approaches that were mostly about abstinence from tech/addictive behaviors or suppression. Research that suppression methods don't work Replacement works "Charles Duhigg's golden rule. But in order for replacement to work, the rewards/feedback in the replacement activity have to feel similar.

However, we have to talk about the last chapter... which might be better to just skip? I don't know, it seemed as though after laying out a careful delineation of all the strategies underlying addictive technologies, he spends the last chapter casting around for something nice to say about the very gamified technologies. The last chapter is a wishy-washy overview of gamification strategies and their uses. While he spent the early part of the book deconstructing how and why technologies are addictive and the harm that causes, this section describes why some of the applications of these same toxic strategies are good actually??? There are only half-hearted justifications at best for why some of the applications are okay and no interrogation of whether there are any guardrails against negative consequences for gamification. several egregious examples: 1. gamified corporate wellness apps... after he had discussed the harm in exercise addictions as facilitated by technology in the first parts; 2. a gamified customer service ticket system where anyone can work part time and be paid by the ticket for customer service SEE UBERLAND.

Bouke van der Bijl

This is a very important book on a topic that I've been thinking a lot about recently. There is a hidden societal cost on our population's obsession with smartphones and social media, that is not talked about and poorly understood. This book explores behavioural addiction, how it compares to previous addictions (like substance addiction) and what causes it. There's a good mix of research and anecdotes in this book, and the book is very easy to devour in a couple days. 

I think there's going to be a lot more discussion in the next couple years about the mass addiction to likes and shares, and this book prepares you fairly well on the subject. I'll be exploring it more, and hoping to create systems or apps to make sure I don't get sucked into the hole of social media/video games/VR/whatever people come up with next.

Nick Gracilla

I have a keen interest in addictive patterns in technology. This book’s muddled message, pop psych reasoning (study X suggests/implies/hints that bad thing Y, oh no!), and oddly brand specific examples makes it difficult to recommend to anyone already familiar with habit formation literature. 

It is already very dated. iPad and iPhone brands were regularly cited, but not Android (is iOS really that different?) and both platforms today are implementing screen time reports and scheduled downtime: examples of the adaptability of these digital tools to our needs. Facebook’s popularity, too, has crested with younger users, regularly set up here as the most vulnerable. 

Oddly Louis CK was quoted several times, and not in reference to his sexual compulsions (which likely surfaced after publication). It only highlights the poor handling of the topic of online sex addiction, an issue raised but not handled in depth. 

On a positive note, the architecture of game addiction is well laid out here: irresistible unpredictable positive feedback, incremental progress, just out of reach goals, unresolved tension, metrics, and social interaction are well discussed. 

Recommended with reservations: there’s not a take-home message here per se, but rather a solid collection of anecdotes, studies, and psych which may have been fresher a few years ago.

Blue

Full review with bonus rambling thoughts at http://bit.ly/2F7avuq

Adam Alter has made a wonderful work in this volume: he dwells into a vast body of research to talk about what behavioral addiction is and why it is relevant today, especially when we talk about smartphones and social networks. The first three chapters of the book introduce the topic and describe what substance and behavioral addiction are. I read people got bothered by this part, but I believe that it helps clearing up the misconception about both type of addiction, illustrating their similarities, but especially their differences. Recognising behavioral addiction is something we’ve done just recently, after all.
The second part of the book is divided into six different chapters, each one devoted to a single aspect of the design of addictive technology. Goals, feedback, social interaction and more are examined and plenty of examples are (unfortunately) drawn from our daily experiences. Waisting an hour on social network, playing until early hours in the morning, getting hooked on a mobile game or app is something most of us have experienced at this point. Organisations who work to help people recover from their addiction and researches who studied or are studying the phenomenon are also presented.
The three final chapters are more focused on how we can “exploit the bugs in our brains” (as my belove engineer boyfriend would say) to promote healthy behaviours and replace wrong habits and addictions. How can we use modern technology to work with/for us, instead of against us?
I personally found the book an interesting read. The language is concise and clear, easy to follow even when it gets a little bit more technical. The amount of research that must be behind the writing of this book shows itself in the pages. There references to scholarly studies is surely helpful to those who are academically drawn to the subject, or just interested in furthering the research on their own.

Nelson Zagalo

A book about the social psychology behind the design of interaction of most applications we use everyday in the online world. The book presents some problems, exaggerations and lack of evidence, mostly if you are looking for therapeutic approaches to the addictions of these technologies. I've made a long analysis in Portuguese for my blog.

Podem ler uma extensa análise no Virtual Illusion, "Por que não conseguimos parar de olhar para os nossos Smartphones?" (https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/...)

This book summarises the concepts in behavioural design. I did learn some new things and revised some concepts that I have been taught before, but I felt that the writing could have been more succinct. Examples were given - that's good - but the elaborations became a bit too much at times. If you know the basics of behavioural design, you can skip this book. Otherwise, it is a very preliminary introduction to the concepts in the field of study.

Serah

Joseph

Good. Nothing really new here. Some good facts and evidence, but a lot of anecdotes as well that don’t seem to support his arguments. 

The general idea is right: we can be addicted to our phones and we should learn to stop.

lala

Niels Andersen

'Fascinating' Malcolm Gladwell 'Your sanity will thank you for reading it' Oliver Burkeman Our world is filled with addictive experiences, from social media and messaging to rolling news and video streaming. They affect our ability to relax, develop relationships and achieve meaningful goals. Psychologist Adam Alter explains why we can't stop scrolling, clicking and watching. And offers practical advice for using technology differently - and leading a happier life. 'Brilliant. Irresistible offers...much-needed solutions' Susan Cain, author of Quiet 'Essential reading... Regain control of your time, finances and relationships' Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit 'With great clarity...Irresistible digs down into exactly how technology has us hooked' The Times

Why You are Addicted to Technology and how to Set Yourself Free

Inês Cachola

Andy Sporring

Pei Ting

Garrett Jansen

'Truly addictive' Malcolm Gladwell * 'Brilliant' Susan Cain * 'Essential' Charles Duhigg How many times have you checked your phone today? Why are messaging apps, email and social media so hard to resist? How come we always end up watching another episode? In recent years, media and technology have perfected the lucrative art of gaining and holding our attention. This extraordinary feat has changed the behaviour of billions of people, and especially the young: by current medical standards, we are experiencing an unprecedented, global pandemic of addiction. But what exactly is an addiction? And what, if anything, might we do about it? From cliff-hangers to earworms, from religion to pornography, and from the awesome allure of the 'Kim Kardashian: Hollywood' app to the unexpected benefits of the 'butt-brush effect', Irresistible blends fascinating stories with ingenious science to explain how and why we all got hooked. Revealing the surprising causes and sometimes bizarre nature of addiction, this book will equip you with the tools and understanding you need to navigate our irresistible new world.

Zach Gallardo &
Irresistible by Adam Alter

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Irresistible by Adam Alter