This is a very intriguing book that makes the argument that instead of being dumbed down and depraved, today's popular culture is actually complex, thought-provoking and is helping make people smarter. The argument goes along the lines that today's movies, television shows, Internet media and video games are far more complex than ever before, which forces the users of these forms of media to think critically, make connections, analyze details and think beyond just staring at the screen.

I loved the video game chapter. I think that people who complain that video games are stupid have never played them. Games such as Zelda (my personal favorites) are like huge puzzles; the entire game, and every mini quest within it forces you to take stock of what you have and what you know, and from there make a guess at what you need to do going forward, all the while mapping out and navigating through a huge 3D world filled with a bunch of unique characters. (Although, I must say I was annoyed that the author didn't bother to copy edit the book enough to remove the glaring typo when he wrote about Zelda's "The Wind Walker", a simple Google search would have notified him of his error.)

The book was a pretty entertaining read, even though it's not nearly as scientific as most other non-fiction books I've been reading lately. The author makes some great points and backs them up well. ( )

A fascinating read debunking the suggestion that video games and TV today are threatening our cognitive development. This book convincingly demonstrates the increasing complexity of popular culture and how it's affecting us.

Another captivating book by Steven Johnson. Whether he's writing about ant colonies, brains, sidewalks, sewers, social networks or chaos theory, he has a way of drawing you in by making connections between wide ranging subjects and contemporary takes on the topic. I now have new-found respect for reality TV shows--i had always suspected that there was something more to the shows besides its surface prurient content, but it's the milliseconds of raw emotions that sometimes escapes and shows from people's faces during the show that fascinates and draws people in. If it's true as neuroscience research says, that we are drawn to "faces" and if our mirror neurons can be triggered by other people's emotions, then maybe we should begin to look at other ways of using reality shows...I also had no idea of all the websites--the "metacommentary" that goes on around these shows and other tv shows. It shows how people are really talking about and thinking about pop culture in ways and numbers never conceived of before in history. Johnson makes the point that there are many more hours of metacommentary than there is actual hours in the show! Whether people are writing about it (blogs) or merely reading about it. I, myself, found myself drawn to this metacommentary world after discovering what I've been missing in the TV world when I happened on 2 series i found in the library--the new Battlestar Galactica and David Simon & Ed Burns' The Wire series. If TV can be this good, maybe I should return to watching tv! Johnson devotes a portion of the book about the increasing complexity of tv shows in its use of multiple narrative threads and language/dialogue that is not necessarily explained to the viewer. Instead, you're immediately immersed into their worlds. I thought The Wire was unique in that respect, until I read about other tv series that uses the same device. Also, I was impressed by the fact that people are buying the dvd series and thus watching and re-watching tv series which was never done before. And that, in fact, that this rolling audience in time & space, greatly outnumbers the viewers that watch the series in its original time slot.

In sum, I always learn so much when i read Steven Johnson, even when I think I already knew "enough" about the topic, he still surprises. Smart guy. ( )

This is an important but relatively dry look at how the increasing complexity of popular culture positively impacts our cognitive abilities. ( )

A worthy addition to my library -- investigates the impact of the mass media, such as TV, movies, and video games, on consumers from a standpoint of their increasing complexity rather than their morality. ( )