Memorable vignettes such as Wired Love, a story between two telegraphers who stumble upon a romance over the wires, and stories of web tributes to the dead, pepper the book along with other more shocking examples of pseudo-relationship. Take for instance Jeremy Bentham, a political philosopher who died in 1832. His preserved skeleton, topped by a wax head and dressed in his own frock coat, ruffled shirt, and wide-brimmed hat, resides in perpetuity in the main building of University College London...an eerie testimony to his faith in the power of permanent visibility in all realms. He is now an "auto-icon," the term coined for a "man who is his own image, preserved for the benefit of posterity." ...Bentham is the father of our surveillance society...keeping people under watch is an ingenious way to regulate them. (p. 1217-128)

Such oddities provide a unique basis for the author's insights as she juxtaposes history with technological age-based commentary.

If you favor a "one minute", easily digestible read you can walk away from with a grocery list of ideas to apply to your own life, prepare to be frustrated and confused when reading Distraction. This study of attention requires every ounce of concentration you have, as well as forcing you to draw your own conclusions. However, if you are in the mood for a serious look at how society is in decline amidst the greatest explosion of technological advance in the history of the world, you will not be disappointed. Distracted allows readers an in depth opportunity to languish in ruminating about the quality of our modern lives, challenging us to evaluate our very existence.