Young adults (and plenty of not-so-young adults) are addicted to the Internet. No surprise there. It’s easy for parents and teachers, politicians and pundits to brush off Internet addiction as a harmless, inevitable consequence of the digital age, a small price to pay for carrying the information super-highway around in our pockets. But what if I told you that young adults (and plenty of not-so-young adults) are stuck in a feedback loop of digital sexual stimulation, addicted not just to the Internet but to pornography and social media? And what if I told you that the consequences of these addictions may be quite dire—ranging from depression, anxiety and ADHD to sexual dysfunction and violence? And what if I told you that, as far as social media companies and pornography producers and anyone who advertises on the Internet is concerned, the feedback loop is exactly where we belong?This book pulls readers out of the matrix. Part manifesto, part autobiography, part self-help roadmap, Breaking the Feedback Loop is a concise, essential guide to porn and social media addiction written for young adults and anyone else suffering at the hands of the Internet.
A.N. Turner uses his extensive academic and professional knowledge to help people understand and improve their relationship with the Internet. At the University of Pennsylvania he researched the influence of technology, where he was motivated to uncover the truth of Internet addiction, particularly in young adults. His experience working at a marketing partner of Facebook, and overstock.com allows him to understand the manipulative tactics of online super powers, or rather super villains.
(M/23) If you are between 15 and 30, you must read this. We may have hard times afoot. Being a quick read, it is a worthwhile investment. In a sense this is a book I have been wanting to write but did not know how to. It brings up contemporary and intimate issues about the modern world, and I think that every young person today should be made aware of the impacts of the attention economy and online pornography. Especially men, who are particularly weak in regards to the latter. It is alarming, contemptable, and completely honest; a chilling wake-up call. I could not have expressed my own problems and confusions more clearly than A. N. Turner has done in this book.