End of Absence

£6.38 £15.96

End of Absence

Reclaiming What We've Lost in a World of Constant Connection

Popular culture Media studies Social and ethical issues

Author: Michael John Harris

Dinosaur mascot

Language: English

Published by: Current

Published on: 7th August 2014

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 699 Kb

ISBN: 9780698150584


Introduction

Soon enough, nobody will remember life before the Internet. What does this unavoidable fact mean? Those of us who have lived both with and without the crowded connectivity of online life have a rare opportunity. We can still recognize the difference between Before and After. We catch ourselves idly reaching for our phones at the bus stop. Or we notice how, midconversation, a fumbling friend dives into the perfect recall of Google.

Book Overview

In this eloquent and thought-provoking book, Michael Harris argues that amid all the changes we’re experiencing, the most interesting is the end of absence—the loss of lack. The daydreaming silences in our lives are filled; the burning solitudes are extinguished. There’s no true "free time" when you carry a smartphone. Today’s rarest commodity is the chance to be alone with your thoughts.

About the Author

Michael Harris is an award-winning journalist and a contributing editor at Western Living and Vancouvermagazines. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Show moreShow less