Book Review: The Influencing Machine

In today's society, people are inundated with media coverage. We can have it delivered to us on our cell phones and computers 24/7. From there, we can text it to each other or tweet it to the world. It bombards us to the point that we reminisce about the "good old days" when an unbiased well-written paper was thrown on our doorstep once a week. In "The Influencing Machine", Brooke Gladstone reminds us that there were no good old days. The media has been dysfunctional and in our face since the Maya (and possibly even before then).

In this graphic novel, Gladstone guides the reader through the history of the media from ancient times of tablets and stone carvings to contemporary times of texting and tweeting. In doing so, she makes the reader question what media is; if it's hurting us more than helping us; and what will become of our culture if the media continues in this way.

The book is written like you're being taught by your favorite high school teacher. At first you complain "history class again" but you soon find yourself completely engrossed. The illustrations are dead on! They are part political cartoon and part art. At times, the graphics rely the story even better than the text. There is certainly a liberal slant to the writing but it doesn't comprise the thesis of Gladstone's argument. She is even able to acknowledge and admit the flaws that exist in journalism.

Though the book was engaging, far more so than a textbook on the subject, at times I felt like a student waiting for the bell to ring so I could be dismissed. I think that it is a fantastic book from those interested in political science, journalism or communication. For laypeople, it feels a bit too rushed on the history and yet sluggish at the same time. I completely understand her thesis that "we get the media we deserve" and I think that it is an incredibly poignant statement. However, at times I felt like she was beating me over the head with it. Still, I would certainly recommend this graphic novel!

-DLP