I’ve been trying to read “Irresistible” since it came out in 2017, but I could never seem to make it happen. Finally, I broke down and listened to the audiobook instead, and I’m glad I did.
At its root, “Irresistible” is about behavioral addiction and how modern technology is essentially designed to keep us hooked. The methods companies come up with are frankly pretty ingenious (if totally amoral). Netflix, for example, encourages us to binge-watch by structuring their shows so that each episode ends on a cliffhanger, AND by defaulting to playing the next episode automatically.
As a former teacher, I was most interested in the impact that these technologies have on children, and the news is...not great. Basically, in order to get anything out of these devices, children need adult supervision and frequent, QUALITY adult interaction—which I can assure you is NOT happening in most cases. Also, these devices are literally shortening our attention spans, which is not great for young minds trying to learn.
The good news is that you CAN learn how to game many of these technologies so that they don’t ruin you life. Alter spends a lot of the book giving you tips on how to do just that. For example, do NOT keep your phone next to your bed, letting it interrupt your sleep. And if you don’t want to binge watch a series, stop an episode five minutes before the end so that the cliffhanger can’t suck you back in.
I definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about addictive technology and how to combat it. And for teachers in particular—the next time your school is thinking of going 1:1, make all the stakeholders involved in the decision read this book first.