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Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter Audiobook
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(3.14) - 14 listener ratings
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From the author of the New York Times bestseller Mind Wide Open comes a groundbreaking assessment of popular culture as it's never been considered before: through the lens of intelligence.Forget everything you’ve ever read about the age of dumbed-down, instant-gratification culture. In this provocative, unfailingly intelligent, thoroughly researched, and surprisingly convincing book, Steven Johnson draws from fields as diverse as neuroscience, economics, and media theory to argue that the pop culture we soak in every day—from Lord of the Rings to Grand Theft Auto to The Simpsons—has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably sharper. You will never regard the glow of the video game or television screen the same way again.
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"This book is overly earnest and a little bit shallow in terms of research and reliable background information, but I appreciated the counterpoint to all of the fearmongering about video games and other media in the news. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars but 4 it is. "
— Megan (4 out of 5 stars)
Everything Bad is Good for You Listener Reviews
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" Facile, veloce ed interessante. Da un diverso punto di vista su un problema che tutti conosciamo, forse troppo limitante la sua analisi "
— Tommaso, 9/25/2011 -
" Meh, the ideas were sort of interesting but this is just horribly written. Don't waste your time. It's a book showing you the flaws in books and the pluses of pop culture....genius? More like complete trash. "
— Dana, 8/2/2011 -
" Wow. Engagingly written argument against claims that entertainment (TV, film, games, etc) are getting dumber - and dragging us down with them. Some reassurance for those whose pursuits are no more highly cultured than Lost or WoW (My hand's up). "
— Michael, 8/1/2011 -
" Interesting argument that modern technology and pop culture is more demanding and helping to make us more intelligent. However, this ignores what is being ignored in the process, the cultural decline, moral fragmentation etc . Nevertheless there is something in what he says. "
— Steve, 7/8/2011 -
" Insightful look into the world of pop culture and how the world perceives it. "
— Jeramey, 7/6/2011 -
" Video games are good! So is TV! I'm happy to read a counter-argument to curmudgeonly fears of media. However, the arguments are weak and shallow. "
— Scott, 6/28/2011
About Steven Johnson
Steven Johnson is the author of twelve books, including How We Got to Now, a New York Times bestseller and the basis for the Emmy–winning PBS/BBC series How We Got to Now. He is also the host of the podcast American Innovations.
About Jason Culp
Jason Culp, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, has been acting since the age of ten, and his credits include a variety of television, theater, and film roles. He is best known for his role as Julian Jerome on General Hospital. In addition to audiobooks and voice-over work in national commercials, he has also narrated documentaries for National Geographic and the History Channel.