Once in a while it is nice to read something that completely counters your usual reading diet. In my case, Against the Machine was just that title. Lee Siegel, critiques the current ethos of the Internet with the vigor of a grumpy old man. He criticizes the work of Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point), Lawrence Lessig (Free Culture, Creative Commons), John Battelle (The Search), Kevin Kelley (co-founder of Wired), Katie Hafner (When Wizards Stay Up Late) and others. In fact, Siegel has something to say about almost every book I have read or wanted to read over the past two years.
Basically, Siegel is trying to get the reader to think about what the internet is and what its potential is for our society. He’s not saying that information technology is a bad thing, only that we shouldn’t so willfully accept its current state (catering to commercial interests, celebrating anonymity, turning every piece of content into a popularity contest, etc.)
For many people this book will probably be infuriating, but as I said… sometimes that’s a good thing. At times Siegel is over-critical, hyperbolic and elitist; however, he is one of the only voices that is challenging us to rethink our current love affair with the internet. Well… him and Andrew Keen.
