This is definitely one of the most fascinating books I have read in many years, and I learned a huge amount from this book. Although I work in an Internet and web career, I have always felt that I have missed out on some of the more back-street aspects of the social web. Facebook and LinkedIn are all very nice, but they feel manufactured. This book exposes that organic and raw side of the social Internet.
I think this book can best be described as a biography of Internet culture, and in that respect it is exceptionally exhaustive, going right back to The Well and before. It charts the development of social activity on the Internet from long before it became mainstream, alongside… Read more
First things first, this is not a book about hedonism or sex. Although the title talks of joy, this is more a attempt to present some interesting behavioural psychology using a quirky framework. So if you're looking for smut or slut, this is not the book for you!
What the book does do is attempt to take the famous "7 deadly sins", and examine them from a psychological point of view rather than a moral one. Many of the sins in question (anger, for example) are not inherently wicked, but simply are emotions that have positive and negative aspects. The author looks to explore some of those more positive aspects, especially those which are interesting.
After reading some of the truly impassioned return comments, I have slight reservations about writing my own review! However I hope that the 4 stars I have given will appease as a sacrifice to the god of Foley, as this man clearly has fans (coverts?!)
I generally go for psychology as opposed to philosophy, and although this book is perhaps somewhere in the middle, I did find it refreshing to read an author who poses questions without feeling a need to answer them. I'm not sure I would go as far as "Achingly funny ... vastly entertaining" (Daily Mail) or "[laugh] harder than you've laughed at a book of pop philosophy" (Guardian), but as I confessed this is a new genre to me so… Read more
