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The heart of Johnson's argument is something called the Sleeper Curve--a universe of popular entertainment that trends, intellectually speaking, ever upward, so that today's pop-culture consumer has to do more "cognitive work"--making snap decisions and coming up with long-term strategies in role-playing video games, for example, or mastering new virtual environments on the Internet-- than ever before. Johnson makes a compelling case that even today's least nutritional TV junk food–the Joe Millionaires and Survivors so commonly derided as evidence of America's cultural decline--is more complex and stimulating, in terms of plot complexity and the amount of external information viewers need to understand them, than the Love Boats and I Love Lucys that preceded it. When it comes to television, even (perhaps especially) crappy television, Johnson argues, "the content is less interesting than the cognitive work the show elicits from your mind."
Johnson's work has been controversial, as befits a writer willing to challenge wisdom so conventional it has ossified into accepted truth. But even the most skeptical readers should be captivated by the intriguing questions Johnson raises, whether or not they choose to accept his answers. --Erica C. Barnett
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Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780141018683
Book Description Condition: New. pp. 256. Seller Inventory # 7123892
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 256 pages. 7.72x5.04x0.16 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0141018682
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. The author puts forward a radical alternative to the endless complaints about reality TV, throwaway movies and violent video games. In this title, he shows that mass culture - "The Simpsons", "Desperate Housewives", "The Apprentice", "The Sopranos", "Grand Theft Auto" - is actually more sophisticated and challenging than ever before. Seller Inventory # B9780141018683
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780141018683
Book Description Condition: New. The author puts forward a radical alternative to the endless complaints about reality TV, throwaway movies and violent video games. In this title, he shows that mass culture - "The Simpsons", "Desperate Housewives", "The Apprentice", "The Sopranos", "Grand Theft Auto" - is actually more sophisticated and challenging than ever before. Num Pages: 256 pages, Illustrations. BIC Classification: JFCA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 127 x 17. Weight in Grams: 194. . 2006. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780141018683
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 4093945-n
Book Description Condition: New. The author puts forward a radical alternative to the endless complaints about reality TV, throwaway movies and violent video games. In this title, he shows that mass culture - "The Simpsons", "Desperate Housewives", "The Apprentice", "The Sopranos", "Grand Theft Auto" - is actually more sophisticated and challenging than ever before. Num Pages: 256 pages, Illustrations. BIC Classification: JFCA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 127 x 17. Weight in Grams: 194. . 2006. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780141018683