The Internet Trap: Five Costs of Living Online

by Ashesh Mukherjee

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442621619
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	01/18/2018
Series:	Rotman-UTP Publishing - Business and Sustainability
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	922 KB

About the Author

Ashesh Mukherjee is an associate professor of marketing in the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1 : Too Many Temptations
Chapter 2 : Too Much Information
Chapter 3: Too Much Customization
Chapter 4: Too Many Comparisons
Chapter 5: Too Little Privacy
Chapter 6: Looking Back & Ahead
Endnotes
References
Index

What People are Saying About This

Angeline Close Scheinbaum

"Practitioners and students alike will love The Internet Trap. It offers a fresh and novel take, informed by consumer psychology research, on the pitfalls of Internet-based communication. It is sexy and smart."

Suresh Ramanathan

"At a time when everyone is discussing the digital revolution, The Internet Trap runs contrary to popular form and offers a fresh perspective on the Internet."

Bernd Schmitt

"If you ever wondered whether the Internet has made your life better or worse, this provocative and compelling book is for you. The Internet Trap uses the latest research in consumer psychology to describe the pitfalls of the Internet and what you can do to avoid them."

Vito Piazza

"The Internet has fundamentally changed how we work, live, and play. Ash's book provides a thought-provoking analysis of these changes based on research in marketing and consumer psychology. As people, employees, employers, or parents, we can all use The Internet Trap as a guidebook for finding a better balance in our lives."

Editorial Reviews

"Five traps to watch out for relate to temptation, information, customization, comparison, and privacy … How can traps be avoided? Mukherjee says an occasional "internet detox" may be in order … Recommended for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and practitioners."

—P. G. Kishel, Choice Vol 55:12: August 2018

"Practitioners and students alike will love The Internet Trap. It offers a fresh and novel take, informed by consumer psychology research, on the pitfalls of Internet-based communication. It is sexy and smart."

—Angeline Close Scheinbaum, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations, The University of Texas at Austin

"At a time when everyone is discussing the digital revolution, The Internet Trap runs contrary to popular form and offers a fresh perspective on the Internet."

—Suresh Ramanathan, David R. Norcom ’73 Professor of Marketing, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University

"If you ever wondered whether the Internet has made your life better or worse, this provocative and compelling book is for you. The Internet Trap uses the latest research in consumer psychology to describe the pitfalls of the Internet and what you can do to avoid them."

—Bernd Schmitt, Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business, Columbia University

"The Internet has fundamentally changed how we work, live, and play. Ash’s book provides a thought-provoking analysis of these changes based on research in marketing and consumer psychology. As people, employees, employers, or parents, we can all use The Internet Trap as a guidebook for finding a better balance in our lives."

—Vito Piazza, Group President, Sid Lee

From the Publisher

"Five traps to watch out for relate to temptation, information, customization, comparison, and privacy ... How can traps be avoided? Mukherjee says an occasional "internet detox" may be in order ... Recommended for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and practitioners."

Choice Vol 55:12: August 2018 - P. G. Kishel