Book Share: The Big Switch by Nicholas Carr.

“Cheap elecricity, cheap cars, and cheap gas, combined with the rising incomes of a growing middle class, prompted an exodus from cities to suburbs and a shift from the public entertainment offered by theaters, amusement parks, and urban streets to the private diversions served up by televisions, radios, and hi-fi sets. Broadcast media, also made possible by electricity, brought the Great White Way of the city into the living room – and, thanks to advertising, you didn’t even have to buy a ticket. The spectacle came to you, conveniently and for free. The mass culture remained, and in fact was further strengthened by popular radio and television programs and hit records, but its products were increasingly consumed in private.” – excerpted from The Big Switch by Nicholas Carr