THE ATTENTION MERCHANTS The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads

Organized as a satisfying history of advertising and marketing, this audio is also a philosophical look at who tries to co-opt our attention and how we've resisted each new intrusion into our lives. Marc Cashman narrates with an effective combination of measured enthusiasm and thoughtful engagement with these ideas. His diction and phrasing are pleasing, and his energy connects well with the historical arcs and themes in the book. Tim Wu uses today's pervasive data collection of our Internet behavior and other examples to illuminate the divide between our being effective stewards of our own attention as compared to mindlessly responding to commercial and political messaging. With Cashman's performance making every idea and theme comprehensible, this is a fascinating and well-documented look at the rapidly accelerating tension between individual intention and organizational interests. T.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2016]