WKU News

New York Times bestselling author Adam Alter will speak on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in DSU Audiorium 1071. This event is free to attend and is open to the public. This event is swipeable for WKU students. Parking is available in parking structure 2.

Alter’s presentation, “Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked,” details how technology adopted in hope of making life better—Instagram, Netflix, Fitbit, Twitter, email—have marketers and engineers behind the scenes that coax users into continued engagement.

By tracing the history of addiction, Alter explores how we are only just beginning to grasp the behavioral addiction of technology and what steps we might take to keep these irresistible temptations from consuming society.  

Alter is an Associate Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, with an affiliated appointment in the New York University Psychology Department. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Irresistible (2017), which explores why so many people are addicted to behaviors from incessant smart phone use to online shopping, and Drunk Tank Pink (2013), which looks at the hidden forces that shape thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

The Wedge Visiting Scholar Presentations, free lectures for educators and the public, have been presented each year since 2003 through a gift from the Wedge family. Past presentations have included Dr. Carol Tomlinson on “Defensible Differentiation: What Will It Take to Get It Right?”; Dr. Donald Treffinger on teaching children to think critically and creatively; Bronwyn MacFarlane on “Curriculum for Every Student to Succeed: Integrating Best Practices from Gifted Education in the Content Areas; and Barbara Kerr on “From Imagination to Innovation: Encouraging Students in STEM.”

Contact: Jesse Knifley, 270-745-3014 or jesse.knifley@topper.wku.edu