Book Review: 2/5 Impact On Me (Book By Seth Stephens-Davidowitz)
Read more about the book here
I enjoyed reading this book, but it did not teach me a lot of new valuable info. So, I consider its impact a 2/5 for me.
The author delves into a simple yet important idea: watch what people do, not just what they say. When you ask people what they like or dislike, their answers might not be accurate. As a product manager, I've learned it's better not to ask customers what they want directly. Instead, I understand their needs by deeply observing and analyzing their actions.
This book emphasizes discovering how people think by looking at their online searches. People censor what they say in surveys and to friends. But, people search the internet freely, thinking no one is watching. I found this approach to understanding data and trends fascinating.
My main goal with these books was to gain a deeper understanding of the world through data, perhaps picking up new skills in understanding people along the way. However, the books didn't focus much on this aspect.
I did learn some interesting facts, like insights into racism's rise and fall or varied interests in explicit videos, as shown by Google Trends or explicit searches. The books also touched on analyzing the mood of books or movies. But, I preferred "Storyworthy" book to understand how to plot a story.
One concept I liked was the idea of a digital twin who shares all your likes and dislikes. I knew the importance of finding someone who has similar likes as you. But, I now also realize the importance of them disliking similar things as you. Finding such a digital twin can help you discover new books, songs, or movies you might enjoy..