Our Virtual Shadow

by Damon Brown

We’ve become a world of infinite status updates, constant tweeting, and compulsive pinning—behavior that can put documenting our lives at odds with actually living. We blame technology, but our need to capture time didn’t start with Instagram. In Our Virtual Shadow: Why We Are Obsessed with Documenting Our Lives Online, long-time culture writer and Quote UnQuote app co-founder, Damon Brown calls upon personal experiences, pop culture observations, and historical evidence to answer key questions concerning the prioritization of our “virtual shadow” over our real lives: Does documenting our lives keep us from living it? Do we sacrifice our sensual experiences (touch or taste) when we use technology to capture memories? And when did this obsession with life documentation begin? Back in the caves of Chauvet? Brown doesn’t believe we should stop technological progress, nor is he advocating that technology is necessary to the progress of humanity. Instead, he forces us to question how we have become so dependent on social media and why, like technologies before it, it taps into our basic human need to be remembered and understood. And ultimately, Brown offers lessons about using social media tools while also teaching us how to stay present in our real lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology

60 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2013

About the author

Damon Brown (damonbrown.net) helps side hustlers, solopreneurs, and other non-traditional creatives bloom. He co-founded the popular platonic connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year, all while being the primary caretaker of his infant first son. He now guides others through his consulting/coaching, his Inc.com column (incdamonbrown.com), and public speaking on platforms including TED.

Damon is author of the best-selling series The Ultimate Bite-Sized Entrepreneur. His newest book is Bring Your Worth: Level Up Your Creative Power, Value & Service to the World.

Join the conversation and get your free creative entrepreneur tools at JoinDamon.me.

Reviews

[Kim Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's been lots of talk about the impact of social media on our time and certainly our privacy. But this book delves into how creating and maintaining our virtual shadow--the documentation of our lives online--impacts the very way we experience the world around us and ultimately, our quality of life. As we're constantly clicking away during an event, for example, it's nearly impossible to be fully present in the moment.

I'll admit that I was (pre)receptive to many of the messages in this book, but Brown dives beneath the surface to explore how technology is changing the quality of our experiential memories, altering our sense of self, and even robbing us of our spontaneity, backing his arguments up with research.

The book isn't calling for an end to gadgets. (The book itself is an e-book, after all, bolstered with links to video and other content.) Instead, Brown is urging us to find some balance. A thought-provoking read that will likely prompt me to take stock and change a few habits.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely need to blog about this book, as there are interesting ideas hiding in it. I say hiding because of the way he presented them until the afterword, where he finally said he was not vilifying our use of social media to document our lives.

[Saurabh Mandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever felt that there is just too much information out there, and you are spending way too much time of your life online. You HAVE to read this. Absolutely marvelous and thought provoking.

[Yorky Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots to think about


Very very interesting book. During the reading of it I actually broke off and deleted 5 apps. We do over document and it definitely affects enjoyment of an experience. Definite food for thought. I am going to leave it a week and reread this!

[Rebecca Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find any new insights here, just stuff that most people already know if they use social media at all. I think a good use for this book might be to introduce it in a first-year college writing class and see what impression it makes on students. They are a good audience for it.

I don't know if it is a transcription error or if Damon Brown really said this, but the "famous quote" about "mistak[ing]the medium for the message" was a quote by Marshall McLuhan, not Malcolm McLaren, wasn't it? Or perhaps I'm wrong and the manager of the Sex Pistols really did say it. Well, it's outside my experience, but I have to say that really put me off the book and made me doubt Mr. Brown's expertise in the communications area. I read the book on Kindle so have no idea what page the reference was on, but it's in the chapter called "A World of Mush." If I'm wrong and the manager of the Sex Pistols really did say this, then by all means correct me.

[Briana Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damon references many moments we all experience with technology, mainly how we use social media to document our lives. We live for shareable moments rather than basking in them. A nice introduction to how we got to this point and what to expect in the future.

[Maya]

Truly eye-opening. We are sacrificing the only thing we have for sure (the moment right now) in our fear to let things go. That's the book each of us has to read right now before it is too late and rethink our everyday behavior.