The Big Switch, Nicholas Carr’s best-selling look at the new computer revolution, makes a simple and profound statement: Computing is turning into a utility, and the effects of this transition will ultimately change society as completely as the advent of cheap electricity did. From the software business to the newspaper business, from job creation to community formation, from national defense to personal identity, The Big Switch provides a panoramic view of the new world being conjured from the circuits of the “World Wide Computer.”
This is a fascinating, and terrifying book. Anyone who blogs, and probably anyone who reads this blog, really should be reading it. Carr first outlines what computing as a utility really means. He explores the difference that our newest essential utility – electricity – had on our lives, and then extrapolates what happened there to computing and the internet, which has become an essential part of almost everyone’s life in the United States and in many other countries. I really enjoyed these historical sections and I felt like Carr laid everything out clearly enough to make fairly boring subjects sound really exciting and relevant. He makes it really clear that the development of electricity only seems linear in hindsight, and so we cannot really expect the development of the internet to seem the same way at the moment, or expect that all wild predictions about it will eventually come true.
Carr uses the second half of the book to explore what widespread use of the internet has done to society. He attempts to show that rather than widening our horizons, the internet narrows them as we can be more and more specific about who we associate with, what we look for, and what we contribute to. He cites an experiment which showed that even if people had only a mild preference to live around one or two people like them, they ended up with a neighborhood split between different races. He extrapolates this to the internet and it definitely had me thinking about the many splits in the blogosphere. There are definitely splits between just book bloggers, let alone the many other “types” of bloggers out there, so his analogy obviously isn’t far off. He also demonstrates how the great deal of culture happening on the internet for free is seriously degrading jobs, yet another event that has actually come to pass more so than when the book was written. People will now happily research, write articles, and make videos, among other things, and distribute their results for absolutely nothing, all taking away paid jobs. Another aspect of this was how few people are required to run businesses through the internet. There is a guy who runs a dating website in Canada all by himself, earning thousands per day. He shows how the internet is becoming essential and inevitable to our lives, and then how it’s already changing everything. He doesn’t offer any solutions to what he clearly is casting as a problem, but as he demonstrates how wrong predictions have been in the past, it would be almost hypocritical of him to suggest what should be done.
I don’t want to go into more of this book because it truly is fascinating and scary in many ways. As someone who uses the internet daily and often for hours, its relevance to my own activities was quite startling. I read this one for The Newsweek 50 Books for Our Times reading project hosted by My Friend Amy, and seriously, it is worthy of its spot on that list. This is very appropriate for our time. Of course, I suspect it will become outdated because not everything will happen as Carr implies, but The Big Switch is a thoughtful, absorbing, and somewhat terrifying read for 2009, and for 2010.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
Looks like a wonderful read ..I will keep a look out for this one. I read non fiction very less unless it’s highly recommended so I guess I would try out this.
.-= Shweta´s last blog ..Monday Book Talk -2 =-.
Wow, sounds like a really thought-provoking read! Thanks for drawing our attention to it!
This sounds like an important book and I can see why it made it to Newsweek’s list. Have you read any of the Thomas Friedman books?
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Review: Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian =-.
Just found my way to your site via My Friend Amy’s blog…love your style. You’re now in my reader. Thanks for sharing!
Great review! I definitely agree about the narrowing rather than broadening of horizons.
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of Kristin Lavransdatter, Volume III: The Cross, by Sigrid Undset and translated by Tiina Nunnally =-.
You mean computers aren’t a necessity? LOL I have definitely seen the shift in the use of computers and how much more dependent we are on them today. Thank you for the great review, Meghan.
.-= Literary Feline´s last blog ..Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak =-.
Since I teach media literacy, I think this is one book I really need to read. It is of high interest to me in all aspects of my life. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention. Great review! Wisteria
.-= Wisteria Leigh´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesdays, December 29, 2009 =-.
Oh my gosh, that sounds fascinating! I would probably drive Carl crazy if I read this one!
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Wondrous Words Wednesday =-.
This definitely sounds very interesting. I don’t think some of the changes he seems to be suggesting are bad things, just something we all need to adjust to!
.-= Nish´s last blog ..Peony in Love – My Last Book Review of 2009 =-.
This does sound like a very interesting read, and one that my husband would probably enjoy too. I have never really thought about this subject, but your review has made me curious enough to pick up this book. Great review! I will be keeping an eye out for it.
.-= zibilee´s last blog ..Company of Liars by Karen Maitland – 480 pgs =-.
Sounds like an interesting book–I will definitely have to check it out. I’m not sure the intranets narrows my social interaction, though (?).
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