Really good read - proper review pending. ( )

This was a quick read -- really could have done it in a day, if I had tried. To me it felt more like a series of blog posts, just by how present his writing style is. There were certainly amusing bits, and quite a few memes taken from his page to give me a chuckle. But most of it was his take on social media -- the good, the bad, the ugly of it. From a historical perspective, though, I feel like this will someday provide a nice glimpse into the online/social media experience and how it often gives a truthful perspective of how we react to national/world events, pop culture, etc. ( )

Oh Myyy!: There Goes the Internet by George Takei
244 pages

★★★

Depending what generation you ask, George Takei is best known for either playing Sulu on the original Star Trek OR he is best known for that guy who’s always posting funny things on Facebook. In the last couple year, Takei hit a new wind of famous by simply posting memes on Facebook, accumulating well over 6 million fans at this point, many who I am afraid aren’t even aware of his previous stint on Star Trek (the Star Trek nerd in me cries). But I can’t deny that I am one of his fans on the website, his posts leave me amused and they are often light-hearted. If you are looking for a memoir on his earlier work and life, don’t look here (look at his early book - To The Stars for that). This book delves into his “career” as an internet celebrity, how he has acclimated, how he has managed to build his fan base, his thoughts on the internet, how he’s used his new fame for good causes, and other random tidbits. I was hoping to like this book much more than I did. It was just so repetitive after awhile. Yes, I get it, you have A LOT of fans (3 million at the time this book was written) and yes, I get that you are only so responsible for the posts on your page because yes, I know you aren’t a news reporter and you can’t spend your days authenticating everything – I got it, the 5 times you mentioned it. It was a fun book, some of his better posts are thrown into the book and I can’t help but love Takei, he’s just an enjoyable, humble guy. But I find it difficult to imagine that 244 pages could be written on one’s short career of posting things on Facebook, I also can’t imagine there would be a reason for a second book on the subject, but there is so maybe I’m just missing something. Good, but nothing to call home about.
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Humorous look at the Star Trek alum who became a Twitter and Facebook phenom with his pithy wit. He became a standard bearer for gay marriage and bringing to light the shame that was the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. He discusses the technology of the media and how he has developed a rapport with the techs at Facebook to improve their product.

I kind of glazed over the technical stuff, not being a Facebook aficionado or Twitter follower, but his devotion to his fans is obvious and I respect him for that. ( )

I had fun reading this book though I'm not a science fiction fan. It convinced me to fan George Takei on Facebook. I like the attitude...you need to strike a balance between serious and fun. Sometimes people blame the internet and social media for watering down society. Did it really? First, what's wrong with fun? What's wrong with social? And isn't an interactive platform that allows the possibility of raising the profile of big ideas cooler than the ways that people used to waste their time in the 'good old days'? Or something like that. ( )