The Burden of Choice

The Burden of Choice PDF Author: Jonathan Cohn
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813597838
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
The Burden of Choice examines how recommendations for products, media, news, romantic partners, and even cosmetic surgery operations are produced and experienced online. Fundamentally concerned with how the recommendation has come to serve as a form of control that frames a contemporary American as heteronormative, white, and well off, this book asserts that the industries that use these automated recommendations tend to ignore and obscure all other identities in the service of making the type of affluence they are selling appear commonplace. Focusing on the period from the mid-1990s to approximately 2010 (while this technology was still novel), Jonathan Cohn argues that automated recommendations and algorithms are far from natural, neutral, or benevolent. Instead, they shape and are shaped by changing conceptions of gender, sexuality, race, and class. With its cultural studies and humanities-driven methodologies focused on close readings, historical research, and qualitative analysis, The Burden of Choice models a promising avenue for the study of algorithms and culture.

The Burden of Choice

The Burden of Choice PDF Author: Jonathan Cohn
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813597838
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Burden of Choice examines how recommendations for products, media, news, romantic partners, and even cosmetic surgery operations are produced and experienced online. Fundamentally concerned with how the recommendation has come to serve as a form of control that frames a contemporary American as heteronormative, white, and well off, this book asserts that the industries that use these automated recommendations tend to ignore and obscure all other identities in the service of making the type of affluence they are selling appear commonplace. Focusing on the period from the mid-1990s to approximately 2010 (while this technology was still novel), Jonathan Cohn argues that automated recommendations and algorithms are far from natural, neutral, or benevolent. Instead, they shape and are shaped by changing conceptions of gender, sexuality, race, and class. With its cultural studies and humanities-driven methodologies focused on close readings, historical research, and qualitative analysis, The Burden of Choice models a promising avenue for the study of algorithms and culture.

The Burden of Choice

The Burden of Choice PDF Author: Georgina Pearson
Publisher: Dormouse Press
ISBN: 9780956946690
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Finding out during pregnancy that your much wanted baby has been diagnosed with an abnormality is a traumatic and devastating experience. Deciding to end the pregnancy is a choice no-one should have to make. Gathered here are the experiences of 25 mothers who have lost a baby in these circumstances. Their stories, which are dedicated to the babies they have lost, have been written to help and support anyone facing a similar decision. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC), a UK national charity that provides non-directive support and information to expectant and bereaved parents throughout and after the antenatal screening and testing process.

The Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice PDF Author: Barry Schwartz
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061748994
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

Private Law and the Value of Choice

Private Law and the Value of Choice PDF Author: Emmanuel Voyiakis
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 150990283X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Some say that private law ought to correct wrongs or to protect rights. Others say that private law ought to maximise social welfare or to minimise social cost. In this book, Emmanuel Voyiakis claims that private law ought to make our responsibilities to others depend on the opportunities we have to affect how things will go for us. Drawing on the work of HLA Hart and TM Scanlon, he argues that private law principles that require us to bear certain practical burdens in our relations with others are justified as long as those principles provide us with certain opportunities to choose what will happen to us, and having those opportunities is something we have reason to value. The book contrasts this 'value-of-choice' account with its wrong- and social cost-based rivals, and applies it to familiar problems of contract and tort law, including whether liability should be negligence-based or stricter; whether insurance should matter in the allocation of the burden of repair; how far private law should make allowance for persons of limited capacities; when a contract term counts as 'unconscionable' or 'unfair'; and when tort law should hold a person vicariously liable for another's mistakes.

Tough Choices

Tough Choices PDF Author: Carly Fiorina
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1857884345
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
By accepting the CEO job at Hewlett-Packard, an iconic company that had lost its way, Carly Fiorina confirmed her status as the most powerful businesswoman in America. But she also made herself a target for everyone who disliked her bold leadership style and resented her rapid rise. For six years, as she led HP through drastic changes and a controversial merger, Fiorina was the subject of endless analysis, debate and speculation. Yet in all that time, the public never really got to know the person behind the persona. Tough Choices finally reveals the real Carly Fiorina, who writes with brutal honesty about her triumphs and failures, her deepest fears and most painful confrontations – including her sudden and very public firing by HP's board of directors. Tough Choices shows what it's really like to lead a major corporation in a time of great change while trying to stay true to your values. It's one woman's inspiring story, along with her unique perspective on leadership, technology, globalisation, sexism and many other issues. "Superb... certain to be a hit. Ms Fiorina is at her best when recounting the travails of a woman in a male-dominated culture. She is also good in her psychological descriptions of the constant betrayals that occur in corporate bureaucracies. The woman that emerges from these pages is cultured, sensitive and vulnerable, even as she acts tough." —The Economist

The Art of Choosing

The Art of Choosing PDF Author: Sheena Iyengar
Publisher: Twelve
ISBN: 0446558710
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
Every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? Sheena Iyengar's award-winning research reveals that the answers are surprising and profound. In our world of shifting political and cultural forces, technological revolution, and interconnected commerce, our decisions have far-reaching consequences. Use The Art of Choosing as your companion and guide for the many challenges ahead.

Great by Choice

Great by Choice PDF Author: Jim Collins
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062121006
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Ten years after the worldwide bestseller Good to Great, Jim Collins returns withanother groundbreaking work, this time to ask: why do some companies thrive inuncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? Based on nine years of research,buttressed by rigorous analysis and infused with engaging stories, Collins andhis colleague Morten Hansen enumerate the principles for building a truly greatenterprise in unpredictable, tumultuous and fast-moving times. This book isclassic Collins: contrarian, data-driven and uplifting.

THE DECISION PARADOX: Complex Journey of Decisions Out of Choices

THE DECISION PARADOX: Complex Journey of Decisions Out of Choices PDF Author: SANDEEP CHAVAN
Publisher: GYRUS VISION
ISBN:
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
In "The Decision Paradox: Complex Journey of Decisions out of Choices", Er Sandeep Chavan offers a compelling exploration of how modern individuals face increasingly complex decisions in everyday life. This book aims to unravel the layers of confusion that often accompany the decision-making process, helping readers to take control of their choices with greater confidence and clarity. At the heart of Chavan’s book is the concept of the Decision Paradox—a situation in which having too many options or conflicting choices creates confusion, stress, and decision fatigue. While similar to the Choice Paradox—where the abundance of options makes it difficult to make a choice—and Dilemma—where one must choose between two difficult options—the Decision Paradox occurs when freedom of choice itself leads to paralysis, dissatisfaction, or suboptimal outcomes. Chavan argues that in today's world, where we are bombarded with endless options in every aspect of life, understanding this paradox is crucial to making thoughtful, satisfying decisions. Psychological and Social Influences: One of the key themes explored in this book is the role of cognitive biases and emotions in decision-making. Chavan explains how psychological factors like loss aversion and analysis paralysis skew our judgment, often causing us to avoid risks even when they might lead to better outcomes. Additionally, he delves into how emotions like anticipated regret influence decision-making, particularly when facing major life choices in areas such as career, education, and relationships. Social influences are also a major factor in the Decision Paradox. Chavan highlights how societal expectations, cultural pressures, and social media can further complicate choices, pushing individuals toward decisions that align with external standards rather than their own authentic desires. The Role of Technology: In the digital age, technology has added yet another layer to decision-making complexity. Chavan discusses how big tech companies leverage algorithms and data to manipulate our choices, subtly guiding consumers' actions without their conscious awareness. From stock market decisions to online shopping, these digital influences often exacerbate the Decision Paradox by offering endless options while limiting genuine autonomy. Practical Strategies and Future Trends: "The Decision Paradox" doesn’t just highlight the problems—it also offers practical solutions. Chavan introduces mindfulness practices and decision-making frameworks to help readers cut through the noise and approach choices with greater intentionality. By focusing on awareness, these strategies aim to reduce the overwhelm that comes with too many options, allowing individuals to make more informed and satisfying decisions. In the final chapters, Chavan speculates on how technological advancements and societal shifts will continue to shape the future of decision-making. He emphasizes the importance of adaptability in a world where choices are becoming more complex, urging readers to remain flexible and open-minded. A Must-Read for Modern Life: Whether you’re making decisions about personal finance, education, career, or relationships, "The Decision Paradox" by Er Sandeep Chavan is an essential guide for anyone seeking to navigate the intricate web of modern choices. It empowers readers to embrace the freedom of choice while understanding its challenges, ultimately leading to more thoughtful, intentional, and fulfilling decision-making.

Choose Your Own Adulthood

Choose Your Own Adulthood PDF Author: Hal Runkel
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
ISBN: 1626343845
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 134

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Book Description
Congratulations, reader! You've successfully navigated through the trials of childhood and adolescence. Now, as you voyage through high school to college and beyond, you're set to begin your next big adventure: adulthood. A few big decisions await you, from majors and minors to jobs and careers (and maybe even marriage!). However, in between the big ones, you'll make a million other smaller, subtler choices that will underpin everything from your friendships to your bank account. These are the daily choices that will truly define you . . . so how will you choose? Choose Your Own Adulthood helps you approach these choices from a more thoughtful, curious, and ultimately self-aware perspective. You'll learn why responding is so much better than reacting, how loyalty is really overrated, which risks are worth taking and which are best avoided, and so much more. Exciting things await you on your journey toward adulthood: which path you take is for you to decide. Choose wisely!

The Age of Choice

The Age of Choice PDF Author: Sophia Rosenfeld
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691164711
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 472

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Book Description
"Today choice is often taken to be a synonym for freedom. In much of the world, but especially in the United States, having both more occasions to make choices and more options to choose from are familiar political, personal, and economic goals. We are urged to consider our preferences and then to select from menus of options covering almost every element of our lives, including what to buy, where to live, whom to love, what profession to practice, and even what to believe. We like to think that when we determine our preferences among them, we are engaged in the business of self-realization. And yet, everybody from marketing gurus to psychologists to philosophers has also been warning us about the many negative consequences stemming from our obsession with individualized choice-making. Not only are we not very good at realizing our personal desires, but we are also overwhelmed with too many possibilities, anxious about what best to pick and seemingly unable to muster the same enthusiasm for collective decision making as we do for choices about ourselves. Further, our relentless focus on the responsibility for making good ones has stigmatized those without many options, mainly the poor. How did this happen? Drawing on sources as varied as novels, questionnaires, and restaurant menus, The Choice is Yours tells the long history of the invention of choice as the modern form of freedom. Sophia Rosenfeld pays particular attention to women and the halting emergence of feminism in order to demonstrate how choice was, from the start, stigmatized and turned into a horizon for liberty. Thus, this is also a story about constraints, from formal laws to social customs, that have always worked to limit choice-who gets to do it, when and how they do so, what the choices are-in ways that are often invisible and yet central to the role that choice plays in the modern world. Rosenfeld begins in the early modern Western world, with the contemporaneous invention of shopping as an activity focused on the selection of goods and of religious freedom, in addition to freedom of expression as a matter of being able to pick one's convictions. Moving into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, she explores choice in romantic life, choice in politics, and sciences of choice. She takes up the work of contemporary psychologists, economists, and other theorists and offers a new perspective on how to think about choice now-based on a new reading of the past. An epilogue centers on the rise of reproductive choice and its consequences since the 1970s. Ultimately, The Choice is Yours is an argument for the necessity of rethinking the meaning of choice today, including its promise and its limitations, within the contours of modern liberalism"--