Adam Alter is a marketing author who also teaches at

New York University Stern School of Business The New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business (commonly referred to as NYU Stern, The Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the business school of New York University, a private research university based in New York City. I ...

Education and work

Alter earned his Bachelor of Science from

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

and M.A. and Ph.D at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. His book ''Irresistible'' (2017) has received positive reviews by the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'', saying it "explores the roots of our tech addiction," ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' saying "enjoyable yet alarming," ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', saying "illuminating on the ways that designers engineer behavioral addiction." In an interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', Alter pointed out that many "

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...

titans refuse to let their kids near certain devices" and that was his motivation to write the book. Speaking to the ''

APA Monitor The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It has ...

'', Alter revealed his from his conversations with other psychologists, he learned that communicating via electronic devices had become the default option for many young people, a fact that contributes to their mental problems. He told ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' that the parents and teenagers he surveyed generally expressed unease with social media, in part because they faced peer pressure to use it.

Media appearances

In August 2017, Alter appeared on the ''

PBS Newshour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...

'' explaining why smartphones can be so addictive and why it is worth reducing usage.

Publications

*Alter, Adam L. ''Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave''. Penguin Press, 2013. . *Alter, Adam L. ''Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.'' Penguin Press, 2017. .

References

External links

Why our screens make us less happy
TED Talk. August 1, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alter, Adam American writers University of New South Wales alumni Princeton University alumni New York University faculty