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Michael Harris: The End of Absence

The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We've Lost in a World of Constant Connection by Michael Harris

Soon enough, nobody will remember life before the Internet.

What does this unavoidable fact mean? 

Those of us who have lived both with and without the crowded connectivity of online life have a rare opportunity. We can still recognize the difference between Before and After. We catch ourselves idly reaching for our phones at the bus stop.

In The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We've Lost in a World of Constant Connection, Michael Harris argues that amid all the changes we're experiencing, the most interesting is the end of absence-the loss of lack. There's no true "free time" when you carry a smartphone. Today's rarest commodity is the chance to be alone with your thoughts.