The Internet Trap: Five Costs of Living Online by Ashesh Mukherjee

We have just entered in the year 2019 & looking at technological evolution, it is not possible to live without the internet. Even our book blogging is dependent on the same technology. So when we saw the cover & the title of the book "The Internet Trap: Five Costs of Living Online" by Ashesh Mukherjee, we were bound to read it. We couldn't say no to the book. Let us take you through what we found after reading the book.

Book Blurb

Whether we are checking emails, following friends on Facebook and Twitter, catching up on gossip from TMZ, planning holidays on TripAdvisor, arranging dates on Match.com, watching videos on Youtube, or simply browsing for deals on Amazon, the internet pervades our professional and personal environments. The internet has revolutionized our lives, but at what cost?

In The Internet Trap, Ashesh Mukherjee uses the latest research in consumer psychology to highlight five hidden costs of living online: too many temptations, too much information, too much customization, too many comparisons, and too little privacy. The book uses everyday examples to explain these costs including how surfing the internet anonymously can encourage bad behavior, using social media can make us envious and unhappy, and doing online research can devalue the product finally chosen. The book also provides actionable solutions to minimize these costs. For example, the book reveals how deciding not to choose is as important as deciding what to choose, setting up structural barriers to temptation can reduce overspending on e-commerce websites, and comparisons with others on social media websites needs to be cold rather than hot. The Internet Trap provides a new perspective on the dark side of the internet, and gives readers the tools to become smarter users of the internet.

As the title suggests, "the internet trap" is divided into five sections. Each section covers one cost. These costs are

1. Too many temptations
2. Too much information
3. Too much customization
4. Too many comparisons
5. Too little privacy

If you look at headings, few may look problematic & few may look helpful. Same was my opinion when I checked the index. But once I read the book, I came to know the pros & cons of each cost in detail with examples & proper research support.

Let's start with good points first. The author has not done just complaining about these costs. He has explained following aspects in depth

• the importance of each cost
• how it could be helpful
• how it is currently affecting us
• and at the end of each chapter, he has also shared how to avoid becoming a victim of these costs & how to take maximum benefits of them.

The book is written in semi nonfiction & semi academical tone Though research support to understand the importance of underlying facts it also hampers the overall reading experience.

Having said that, it is a deep studied informative book. Ratings

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Content -3/5
3. Overall - 3.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon and Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads