BOOKS
Reading paper books is not just a nostalgic choice but a profoundly beneficial practice for mind and body alike. From enhancing cognitive development and reducing stress to preserving eye health and promoting emotional depth, the analog experience of reading offers a multi-dimensional pathway to wellness. In a fast-paced digital world, returning to the pages of a physical book is a powerful act of self-care and intellectual enrichment. It reminds us of the value of slowing down, engaging deeply, and embracing the timeless wisdom of the written word. READ MORE
Alienation Studies: Collected Papers of Melvin Seeman, edited by Paul Seeman and Teresa Seeman and published by Springer, stands as a comprehensive anthology of one of the most influential sociologists of the 20th century. Through this volume, readers gain access to a half-century of research dedicated to dissecting the multidimensional phenomenon of alienation. Melvin Seeman’s conceptual legacy—particularly his five-part typology of alienation: powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, social isolation, and self-estrangement—remains foundational in the behavioral and social sciences. The editors have done more than merely compile his work; they situate each piece within its intellectual and historical contexts, revealing how Seeman’s theories evolved in conversation with shifting academic paradigms, institutional environments, and interdisciplinary collaborations.
The richness of the volume lies in its methodological breadth and its enduring theoretical clarity. By including cross-cultural analyses, empirical studies, and philosophical reflections, the book offers a rare longitudinal perspective on how alienation manifests across different social structures and ideological regimes. Seeman’s work departs from abstract theorization and engages directly with phenomena such as workplace dissatisfaction, civic disengagement, and the internalization of systemic expectations—making it surprisingly prescient in light of today’s algorithmic control systems and neoliberal economies of performance. Rather than reducing alienation to an individual pathology, Seeman insists on its structural genesis, turning alienation into a diagnostic category for assessing the moral and institutional dislocations of modern societies.
For contemporary researchers grappling with the psychosocial costs of digital capitalism, Seeman’s framework provides a powerful lens through which to re-evaluate current pathologies—particularly those affecting mental health, social cohesion, and subjective agency. Concepts such as self-estrangement are strikingly applicable to the current age of social media hyperperformance and gamified visibility, where individuals are compelled to mold their identities for public display and validation. Seeman’s enduring insight lies in his ability to articulate how external systems become internalized as alien norms, often producing compliant but disconnected subjects. As such, this book is not merely an archival effort; it is a vital intellectual resource for those attempting to understand, critique, and transform the mechanisms of alienation in our time.
Douglas Sturm, a major ethical thinker, here presents ten intriguing essays that lay the groundwork for a communitarian political theory. Drawing on the work of Alfred North Whitehead and Bernard E. Meland, Sturm brings the implications of process thought, especially its principle of internal relations, to bear on the interpretation and evaluation of our social and political life. He argues that American individualism, including its curious transmutations into the forms of corporativism, racism, and nationalism is a constraint that deprives us of a deeper, more complex understanding of ourselves and a richer sense of the goodness of our lives.
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The essays contrast a communitarian political theory with alternative traditions of social thought, particularly those forms of individualism generated by Hobbes, Locke, and Bentham. Political realities of power, rights, and interests are not to be dismissed, according to Sturm, but they need to be cast within a concept of politics that sustains a community as a whole; thus public good and justice are defined as the central principles of public life. He isolates alternative theoretical perspectives and demonstrates how they deal with several current social and political dilemmas.
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Sturm applies the principles of the communitarian political theory to a broad range of contemporary concerns: the character and legitimacy of the modern business corporation; the idea of democratic capitalism; legal realism as the prevailing jurisprudence of the practicing lawyer; the scope and focus of bioethics as a discipline. In doing so, he affirms both the inescapability of public life in our existence and the radical character of the evil that it often creates.
HOW THE HANDBOOK OF CHILDREN AND SCREENS FAILS TO ADDRESS THE ECONOMIC CODES SHAPING MENTAL SUFFERING
The Handbook of Children and Screens offers a thorough and clinically informed overview of the effects of digital media on children and adolescents, covering topics such as sleep, attention, cyberbullying, and developmental disorders. However, the volume largely remains at the level of observable behaviors and individual psychopathology, omitting the deeper systemic and ideological forces shaping the digital environment — particularly unconscious economic codes embedded in platforms, interfaces, and attention-driven algorithms.
In failing to account for these codes, the book overlooks how economic imperatives—profit maximization through engagement metrics—are embedded in the design of social media platforms, games, and apps. These mechanisms often exploit psychological vulnerabilities, particularly in youth, reinforcing patterns of compulsive use and generating psychological distress. There is no meaningful exploration of how such economic systems shape the formation of identity, self-worth, and affect regulation in children and adolescents.
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This open access handbook synthesizes the current research about the impacts of digital media on children across development. Drawing on the expertise of scientists and researchers as well as clinicians and practitioners, the book summarizes research through interdisciplinary expert reviews. First, it addresses the cognitive, physical, mental, and psychosocial impacts on infants, children, and adolescents. Next, the book explores how media influences relationships, family, culture, and society. Finally, it examines the impacts of specific digital domains pertinent to youth, including education technology, video gaming, and emerging technologies. Chapters employ a parallel structure, including background on the topic, summary of the current state of the research, future research directions, and recommendations for relevant stakeholders. The volume examines the timely issue of optimal child development in an increasingly digital age, offering innovative approaches to establish a solid and robust scientific foundation for this field of study as well as evidence-based action for adults who support positive youth development.
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Key areas of coverage include:
- Cognition and brain development.
- Physical and mental health.
- Problematic uses of the internet.
- Race.
- Gender and sexuality.
- Parenting in the digital age.
- Cyberbullying and digital cruelty.
- Media policy.
The Handbook of Children, Adolescents, and Screens is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, educators, and related professionals in clinical child, school, and developmental psychology, social work, public health, epidemiology, neuroscience, human development and family studies, social psychology, sociology, and communication.
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This is an open access book (PDF here).
Economic Unconscious is a masterful synthesis of psychoanalysis, critical theory, and political economy, offering a powerful framework for understanding the hidden forces that govern modern life. Poenaru’s analysis is both a diagnosis of the psychic effects of cybercapitalism and a blueprint for resistance. By illuminating the mechanisms of the economic unconscious, he provides readers with the tools to critically engage with the systems shaping contemporary existence.
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The book’s central premise is the concept of the economic unconscious (EU), a construct that encompasses the unconscious processes influenced and shaped by economic systems. Poenaru argues that while the EU is omnipresent and central to contemporary life, it has largely remained in the blind spots of academic inquiry. Traditional disciplines such as psychoanalysis have focused on familial and psychosexual dynamics, often neglecting the socio-economic conditions that profoundly shape the psyche. Similarly, economic theories have analyzed behavior without addressing the unconscious processes that underpin decision-making, desires, and biases.
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The economic unconscious, as Poenaru conceptualizes it, is a multi-layered construct shaped by psychological, cultural, and political forces. It operates across individual and collective levels, mediating the ways people internalize economic norms, values, and ideologies. Poenaru’s project is not just to theorize the EU but to map its mechanisms, dynamics, and consequences, providing a robust framework for understanding its pervasive influence.
The analog urgency: Reclaiming depth and connection in a digital age
In education, this urgency is exemplified by Sweden’s recent decision to reintegrate printed textbooks into classrooms. This move reflects a growing awareness that foundational skills like reading, writing, and problem-solving are best nurtured through analog approaches. Sweden’s shift is a response to declining literacy rates and attention spans, issues exacerbated by the overuse of digital devices in learning environments.
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Research shows that reading on screens (especially those with bright lights) can cause more eye strain and less focus compared to paper books. Plus, understanding what you read and remembering it takes a hit when you’re staring at screens.
One big gripe has been how distracting digital devices can be. Lots of students get sidetracked by games or surfing the web during class instead of sticking to their studies. This screen obsession also raises flags about social skills and attention spans in school settings. Parents and teachers are pretty vocal about these issues; many parents worry about their kids using computers for things other than learning.
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Damaged life according to Adorno
For Adorno, the good life is impossible under capitalism. Every attempt at genuine freedom, happiness, or intellectual independence is distorted by the system’s economic imperatives. Minima Moralia, written in exile, reflects his deep sense of displacement and pessimism about modernity. However, it is not simply a work of despair—it is also a critical tool, urging readers to resist the dehumanizing effects of capitalism through critical thought, cultural engagement, and an unwavering commitment to intellectual freedom. Life under capitalism is damaged not just because it is exploitative, but because it conditions people to accept their own subjugation, eroding the very possibility of authentic human existence.
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BOOK REVIEW
The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley
Schaake systematically critiques how democratic governments have failed to address the growing influence of private tech companies. She argues that by abdicating their regulatory responsibilities, states have allowed these corporations to assume roles traditionally reserved for public institutions. The consequences of this negligence are far-reaching: surveillance practices erode civil liberties, unregulated platforms amplify misinformation, and profit-driven decision-making undermines public accountability. Through examples such as the misuse of Pegasus spyware and the exploitation of social media for political gain, Schaake vividly illustrates the stakes of unregulated technological power.
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One such example is the Cambridge Analytica scandal, exposed by whistleblower Christopher Wylie, where data harvested from millions of Facebook users was weaponized to manipulate voter behavior during the Brexit referendum and the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. This case underscores how data misuse can distort democratic processes on a global scale. Closer to home, the recent elections in Romania provide another alarming example. Reports revealed that certain political parties leveraged bots and disinformation campaigns on social media platforms to polarize voters and suppress turnout in targeted demographics. These tactics, often facilitated by inadequate platform oversight, highlight the fragility of electoral integrity in the digital age. Schaake’s analysis resonates deeply in these contexts, as she calls for urgent reforms to safeguard democracy from such technologically mediated threats.
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BOOK REVIEW
Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back
By Ulises A. Mejias and Nick Couldry
Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back is a deeply important work. Mejias and Couldry offer a searing critique of Big Tech’s extractive practices while providing a framework for understanding and resisting the systemic injustices they perpetuate. By linking the past to the present, they challenge readers to see beyond the conveniences of modern technology and confront the structural inequalities that underpin it. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned about privacy, justice, and the future of democracy in the digital age. It is a powerful reminder that the fight against data colonialism is not just a battle for individual rights but a struggle for a more equitable and sustainable world.
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BOOK REVIEW
The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.
A key strength of The Shallows lies in its exploration of neuroscience. Carr delves into the concept of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to stimuli—and shows how our constant interaction with digital technologies reshapes neural pathways. Activities such as browsing the web, clicking hyperlinks, and juggling multiple tasks reinforce habits of shallow thinking while simultaneously eroding the neural connections that support deep reading and contemplation. Carr argues that this cognitive shift has profound implications for memory, learning, and intellectual engagement, as the brain becomes optimized for efficiency over depth.
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BOOK REVIEW
The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking. By Shannon Vallor
Recent events vividly reflect Vallor’s central arguments. Issues such as algorithmic bias, misinformation, and environmental challenges highlight the risks she warns about. For example, systems like OpenAI’s GPT-4 have been criticized for perpetuating biases embedded in their training data, illustrating how AI often mirrors past injustices. Similarly, misinformation campaigns powered by AI tools have undermined democratic processes in recent elections, deepening political polarization and eroding public trust.
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Parenting in the Age of Cybercapitalism: Navigating Consumption, Productivity, and Mental Health Challenges in Modern Family Life
Parents, particularly mothers, are pressured to maximize their efficiency—balancing work, caregiving, and self-care—while adhering to an ever-expanding list of prescribed behaviors from parenting literature, blogs, and social media influencers. These platforms fuel a cycle of comparison and inadequacy, subtly demanding that parents “consume” solutions to keep pace with societal expectations. Failing to do so risks not only personal guilt but also social exclusion, as parenting competence is increasingly tied to visible engagement with these digital ecosystems.
The heightened pressures of modern parenting may inadvertently contribute to the preparation of mentally ill adolescents, as evidenced by rising rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders among youth. Epidemiological data reveals alarming trends: studies show significant increases in the prevalence of mental health issues among adolescents, particularly post-pandemic. These challenges are often rooted in early-life dynamics, where parents’ struggles with perfectionism and overprotection intersect with children’s growing need for autonomy and resilience.
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BOOK REVIEW
Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism
By Robert Chapman
Robert Chapman’s Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism stands as a bold and illuminating critique of how capitalism has shaped the concept of "normality" and, in doing so, perpetuated systemic oppression of neurodivergent individuals. The book's interdisciplinary nature draws on philosophy, sociology, history, and economics, offering a nuanced exploration of the mechanisms through which capitalist systems construct, enforce, and exploit cognitive and behavioral norms. By weaving historical analysis with contemporary critique, Chapman joins a growing chorus of scholars, such as Judy Singer, Lennard Davis, and Michel Foucault, who have interrogated the socio-political dimensions of disability and neurodiversity.
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BOOK REVIEW
The Anxious Generation
BY Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation examines a crucial and troubling phenomenon: the sharp rise in adolescent mental health issues over the past decade. Drawing on a wealth of psychological, sociological, and historical research, Haidt argues that two profound societal changes—the decline of unsupervised free play and the mass adoption of smartphones and social media—are the twin culprits behind this crisis. According to Haidt, these changes have fundamentally rewired childhood and adolescence, leaving today’s youth more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide than previous generations.
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