The Digital Mystique by Sarah Granger, at Berkeley Rep theater.

I have spent inordinate amounts of time digitalizing my life since I returned from China.  The first three months were spent in the award of a residency at the Dorland Arts Colony.   Then six months, later, I returned to China for two months.  When I finally was at rest, in the USA, in September 2013, I started the "revolution".  Due to advances in iPhone in the IOS system and in its opening up its contracts, I purchased the IPHONE 5S, having first purchased the ipad as a back up for my pc, and for portability.  My desk top pc is an HP because, in part, it is a real value, and  it still had the CD player(and I have lots of photos and Music stored on CDs.  Then, I purchased a Mac notebook because I hoped it would help me in my writing.  I am just about to utilize it in that mode, as after many a workshop on start up with this technology at Apple's friendly store in San Francisco, I am now up and going, though discontent.  Younger users, usually a generation or two younger users, always can attach pdfs of their published articles and can send me their links...and I still find this process cumbersome.  ie finding the links etc...so still need more levels of capacity and competence.   Starting in China, due to student and faculty and expat contacts, I finally gave in to an account on FACEBOOK, with VPN, and it is still useful for international contacts, but because America is a large country, and I have left some of my friends on the East Coast, in terms of seeing them in actuality, rather than in a virtual reality, which doesn't work at all, for some, due to their privacy issues, which I shared for decades, but now I find that social media can help one be more efficient in communications and allow friends to read what interests them....as some friends haven't a clue about some of the places in which I lived and worked in Central Asia, in the Caucasus, in Russia, in China, or in travels in SE Asia. What's more, their time is consumed by their own interests, which in retirement for some, is grandchildren and gardening or refurbishing their houses or moving into other homes, which simplify their lives.  In America, some friends also have commitments, of course in Latin America, in Central America, in Mexico, in South America, in Africa and I do not share their knowledge or obligation in these countries, because my life has been so centered on Europe and Asia. 

So, in a word, one can always learn something new; I find it makes life worth living.  I remember reading that the future belongs only to those who become "digitalized", and can master the social media as well as the internet resources, and I find that young generations, especially those in their  40s and 50s really do create success stories for themselves, not relying on the old personal networks or associations of the other generations.    Sarah is such an example though she still love the physical book, and as I walked in and out of this meeting with another Tech person, she confessed that she never facebooks with her nearest and dearest but utilizes it professionally.  I also note that very sensitive art history and English majors who went into the Technology industry still have elegance and subtlety.  I know my godson's wife was an art history major at Berkeley and she worked for  WIRED magazine, when they lived in Manhattan.  I met WIRED's editor and publisher, at the University of Pennsylvania.   So the net has transformed the global communication system and as we know has increased its need for cybersecurity, with the entry of so many on line.    In any event, Sarah presented such an intelligent face to the whole business, and is so positive in terms of her book and how it can help users, I am happy to inform anyone who reads this about it, in the event it can also serve their needs.

Sarah Granger says she had worked on this book for 8 years....found an agent and has now published it, in e back and soft cover. Sarah reminds us that she grew up with social media, so it is second nature to her, though she still loves "real" physical books as well as on line books. She spoke for INFUSION, in Berkeley Rep Theater.

Sarah Granger  introduces her book in the following way:
"Last year the Pew Research Center found that 74% of women and 62% of men in the United States were users of social network sites. As we become more immersed in our online lives, we begin to wonder how this affects our health, privacy, concentration, and ability to interact with others in the world. 

"Sarah Granger investigates these very real concerns about the permanent and powerful effects of increased connectivity.  By examining how digital media continuously shapes our everyday lives, Granger sheds new and fascinating light on the positive effects of the digital media revolution - and also offers essential guidance for maximizing our online potential. " 

The book is 17.00 soft cover, and is available on Kindle books as an e-book. 

For more information: 

www.SARAHGRANGER.com

www.Sealpress.com

Media inquiries:  Jesse.Wentworth@PerseusBooks.com