We follow Heffernan through the Smithsonian Natural Museum of Internet History, as she annotates the exhibits: the Kindle, with its lithe design and endless supply of books, usurper of the printed word; the MP3, compressing the rapture and idiosyncrasies of your favorite music, destroyer of the music business and the listening experience; YouTube, standing among the smoldering wreckage of the linear-minded entertainment industries, triumphant in its mesmerizing stunts, obscure clips and unboxing videos.
Reviewing Virginia Heffernan’s Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art in the New York Times, Justin Ellis asks what we gain, and lose, in the constant turnover of technological invention.
