Book Review - The Future of Feeling


A smiley emoji and a sad emoji on a book cover.

There's no doubt that technology has made it easier to communicate. It's also easier to shut someone out when we are confronted with online discourse. Why bother to understand strangers--or even acquaintances--when you can troll them, block them, or just click "Unfriend" and never look back?

This is a mish-mash of essays which never quite comes to a conclusion.

Virtual Reality experiences might increase empathy. But they might not. And that's what we thought would happen with TV.

Empathy is good. Too little is bad. But it never really explores what the lack of empathy might mean, other than a few lurid tales of people "torturing" robot dinosaurs.

If you've been following along the development of modern technology, there's nothing particularly new or insightful in there. It's a good general introduction, but feels a little egotistical and unsatisfying.

Verdict
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