From the bestselling author of A History of the World in 6 Glasses, the story of social media from ancient Rome to the Arab Spring and beyond.
Social media is anything but a new phenomenon. From the papyrus letters that Cicero and other Roman statesmen used to exchange news, to the hand-printed tracts of the Reformation and the pamphlets that spread propaganda during the American and French revolutions, the ways people shared information...

Language is humanity's most spectacular open-source project, and the internet is making our language change faster and in more interesting ways than ever before. Internet conversations are structured by the shape of our apps and platforms, from the grammar of status updates to the protocols of comments and @replies. Linguistically inventive online communities spread new slang and jargon with dizzying speed. What's more, social media is a vast laboratory...

Publisher Annotation: A candid and irreverent look at the ridiculous ways we all try to make ourselves look better online-from a popular standup and internet comedian whose videos have been viewed over one billion times. 272pp., 100K

Gary Vaynerchuk contends that the people and companies harnessing the word-of-mouth power provided by multiplatform media -- those that can shift their outlook and operations to be more customer-aware and fan-friendly -- will pull away from the pack and profit in today's markets.

"Through the weaponization of social media, the internet is changing war and politics, just as war and politics are changing the internet. Terrorists livestream their attacks, "Twitter wars" produce real-world casualties, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but the very fate of nations. The result is that war, tech, and politics have blurred into a new kind of battlespace that plays out on our smartphones. P. W. Singer...

"The industry provocateur behind such companies as Twitter and a nascent Facebook presents an irreverent expose of life inside the tech bubble that traces his hedonist lifestyle against a backdrop of early social media and online marketing, sharing critical insights into how they are shaping today's world,"--NoveList.

"A provocative, incisive look at the building of social movements-from the 1600s to the present day-and how current technology is undermining them. We tend to think of revolutions as loud: frustrations and demands shouted in the streets. But the ideas fueling them have traditionally been conceived in much quieter spaces, in the small, secluded corners where a vanguard can whisper among themselves, imagine alternate realities, and deliberate over how...

The gripping and galling inside story of how Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social networks preyed on psychological frailties to create the algorithms that drive everyday users to extreme opinions and, increasingly, extreme actions. The companies' founding tenets, combined with a blinkered focus on maximizing engagement, have led to a destabilized world for everyone. -- adapted from jacket

"Learn how to get the most out of social media! We've identified the essential skills you need to stay connected with the people you care about; reconnect with old friends and classmates; and share your life with loved ones near and far. Our crystal-clear instructions respect your smarts but never assume you're an expert. Big, colorful photos on nearly every page make this book incredibly easy to read and use!"--

Hashtags silence as well as shout. They originate in the quiet of the archive and the breathless suspense of the control room, as well as in the roar of rallies in the streets. The #hashtag is a composite creation, with two separate design histories: one involving the crosshatch symbol and one about the choice of letters after it. Celebration and criticism of hashtag activism rarely addresses the hashtag itself as an object or tries to locate its...