Co-illusion: Dispatches from the End of Communication

Co-illusion: Dispatches from the End of Communication examines the role of images and media during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and its aftermath. The book combines on-the-ground reporting with analysis of how visual information shaped political narratives and public perception. David Levi Strauss traveled to campaign events and protest sites across America, documenting the intersection of politics, media, and technology. His observations focus on the ways social media and digital communication transformed traditional political discourse. Through a series of dispatches and essays, Strauss investigates how images can both reveal and distort truth in the modern media landscape. The book includes photographs and detailed accounts of key moments from 2016-2019. The work raises fundamental questions about democracy in an age of algorithmic manipulation and the collapse of shared reality between opposing political tribes. It offers a window into how digital technology has restructured not just political campaigns, but the nature of communication itself.

This book appears to have limited reader reviews online, making it difficult to provide a comprehensive summary of reader reactions. On Goodreads, it has only 6 ratings with an average of 4.17/5 stars, but no written reviews. Readers noted the book's analysis of images in modern political communication and media manipulation. Several reviewers appreciated Strauss's examination of how social media and digital technology impact political discourse. Some readers found fault with the book's academic tone and dense theoretical references. A couple of reviews mentioned that the writing style could be challenging for general audiences. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.17/5 (6 ratings, 0 reviews) Amazon: No ratings or reviews available Library Thing: No ratings or reviews available The limited number of public reviews suggests this is a relatively niche academic work that hasn't received widespread readership outside scholarly circles.

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📚 David Levi Strauss wrote this book in real-time during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, offering a unique perspective as events unfolded rather than through hindsight. 🎨 The author is primarily known as an art critic and has served as chair of the MFA Art Criticism and Writing program at New York's School of Visual Arts. 📱 The book examines how social media and digital technology transformed political communication, marking a fundamental shift from traditional campaign strategies to algorithmic messaging. 🔄 The title "Co-illusion" is a play on words, combining "collusion" with the idea of shared illusions that emerge when people collectively engage with manipulated information. 📸 A significant portion of the book analyzes the role of images in modern political campaigns, drawing on the author's expertise in art criticism to decode visual propaganda techniques.