Everything Bad is Good for You Export

@book{citeulike:769968, abstract = {{In his fourth book, <i>Everything Bad Is Good for You</i>, iconoclastic science writer Steven Johnson (who used himself as a test subject for the latest neurological technology in his last book, <i>Mind Wide Open</i>) takes on one of the most widely held preconceptions of the postmodern world--the belief that video games, television shows, and other forms of popular entertainment are detrimental to Americans' cognitive and moral development. <i>Everything Good</i> builds a case to the contrary that is engaging, thorough, and ultimately convincing. <p> The heart of Johnson's argument is something called the Sleeper Curve--a universe of popular entertainment that trends, intellectually speaking, ever upward, so that today's pop-culture consumer has to do more "cognitive work"--making snap decisions and coming up with long-term strategies in role-playing video games, for example, or mastering new virtual environments on the Internet-- than ever before. Johnson makes a compelling case that even today's least nutritional TV junk food\&\#150;the <i>Joe Millionaire</i>s and <i>Survivor</i>s so commonly derided as evidence of America's cultural decline--is more complex and stimulating, in terms of plot complexity and the amount of external information viewers need to understand them, than the <i>Love Boat</i>s and <i>I Love Lucy</i>s that preceded it. When it comes to television, even (perhaps especially) crappy television, Johnson argues, "the content is less interesting than the cognitive work the show elicits from your mind." <br> Johnson's work has been controversial, as befits a writer willing to challenge wisdom so conventional it has ossified into accepted truth. But even the most skeptical readers should be captivated by the intriguing questions Johnson raises, whether or not they choose to accept his answers. <i>--Erica C. Barnett</i>} {Forget everything you've read about the age of dumbed-down, instant-gratification culture. In this provocative, intelligent, and convincing endorsement of today's mass entertainment, national bestselling author Steven Johnson argues that the pop culture we soak in every day-from <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> to <i>Grand Theft Auto</i> to <i>The Simpsons</i>-has been growing more and more sophisticated and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are making our minds measurably sharper. You will never regard the glow of the video game or television screen the same way again.}}, author = {Johnson, Steven}, citeulike-article-id = {769968}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&amp;path=ASIN/1594481946}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike01-21&amp;path=ASIN/1594481946}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike06-21&amp;path=ASIN/1594481946}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www.amazon.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594481946}, citeulike-linkout-4 = {http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594481946/citeulike00-21}, citeulike-linkout-5 = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/1594481946}, citeulike-linkout-6 = {http://www.worldcat.org/isbn/1594481946}, citeulike-linkout-7 = {http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1594481946}, citeulike-linkout-8 = {http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?keywords=1594481946&index=books&linkCode=qs}, citeulike-linkout-9 = {http://www.librarything.com/isbn/1594481946}, day = {02}, howpublished = {Paperback}, isbn = {1594481946}, keywords = {culture, games, literature, ludology}, month = {May}, posted-at = {2007-04-30 10:33:41}, priority = {0}, publisher = {{Riverhead Trade}}, title = {Everything Bad is Good for You}, url = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/1594481946}, year = {2006} }

TY - BOOK ID - citeulike:769968 L3 - citeulike-article-id:769968 N2 - {In his fourth book, <i>Everything Bad Is Good for You</i>, iconoclastic science writer Steven Johnson (who used himself as a test subject for the latest neurological technology in his last book, <i>Mind Wide Open</i>) takes on one of the most widely held preconceptions of the postmodern world--the belief that video games, television shows, and other forms of popular entertainment are detrimental to Americans' cognitive and moral development. <i>Everything Good</i> builds a case to the contrary that is engaging, thorough, and ultimately convincing. <p> The heart of Johnson's argument is something called the Sleeper Curve--a universe of popular entertainment that trends, intellectually speaking, ever upward, so that today's pop-culture consumer has to do more "cognitive work"--making snap decisions and coming up with long-term strategies in role-playing video games, for example, or mastering new virtual environments on the Internet-- than ever before. Johnson makes a compelling case that even today's least nutritional TV junk food&#150;the <i>Joe Millionaire</i>s and <i>Survivor</i>s so commonly derided as evidence of America's cultural decline--is more complex and stimulating, in terms of plot complexity and the amount of external information viewers need to understand them, than the <i>Love Boat</i>s and <i>I Love Lucy</i>s that preceded it. When it comes to television, even (perhaps especially) crappy television, Johnson argues, "the content is less interesting than the cognitive work the show elicits from your mind." <br> Johnson's work has been controversial, as befits a writer willing to challenge wisdom so conventional it has ossified into accepted truth. But even the most skeptical readers should be captivated by the intriguing questions Johnson raises, whether or not they choose to accept his answers. <i>--Erica C. Barnett</i>} {Forget everything you've read about the age of dumbed-down, instant-gratification culture. In this provocative, intelligent, and convincing endorsement of today's mass entertainment, national bestselling author Steven Johnson argues that the pop culture we soak in every day-from <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> to <i>Grand Theft Auto</i> to <i>The Simpsons</i>-has been growing more and more sophisticated and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are making our minds measurably sharper. You will never regard the glow of the video game or television screen the same way again.} SN - 1594481946 TI - Everything Bad is Good for You PB - {Riverhead Trade} KW - culture KW - games KW - literature KW - ludology AU - Johnson, Steven PY - 2006/05/02/ UR - http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&amp;path=ASIN/1594481946 ER -