Book Review: Click by Bill Tancer

I requested this book from Mini Book Expo – BIG THANKS to Lex and Hyperion!

“Click” by Bill Tancer

Published by Hyperion

Rating: 4 stars

“Click” follows in the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell and the “Freakonomics” duo, by analyzing modern-day trends and extracting meaning behind society’s behavior through the use of data and statistics. There a number of different topics discussed including politics, entertainment, and consumer behavior. What makes “Click” unique is that all of Tancer’s findings are based upon search engine data and all his conclusions are drawn from how Americans spend their time on the internet.

My goal in reading “Click” was to learn more about online behavior and to see a different view of the internet’s role in our society. In that respect, I can say that I’m satisfied with the book. I was introduced to some unique information and learned some interesting facts. The downside is that because Tancer covers a lot of ground, he also chooses to focus on very specific examples and doesn’t always provide enough of the bigger picture. I also didn’t feel that there was sufficient cohesion among the different chapters, which I would have liked.

What I really appreciated about the book was Tancer’s “love of data” and passion for numbers. His anecdotes about the conferences he has attended and his ability to produce data charts in no time were pretty humorous. I only wish there would have been more content on his personal experiences with his research and less on publicizing the company he works for and what they do.

Overall I enjoyed “Click” and would recommend it for anyone who is curious about how online data can teach us about our society as a whole and in some cases why it fails to lead to accurate conclusions. Bill Tancer certainly convinced me that “we are what we click”!