The Dark Side of Social Media

"Yet again Dr. Pavica Sheldon (this time with coauthors James Honeycutt and Phillipp Rauschnabel) has succeeded in making the peer-reviewed scientific literature on social media accessible to the mainstream. The Dark Side of Social Media is a compelling read rooted deeply in decades of science, and fine tuned for audiences that may be less familiar with the peer-reviewed literature, but completely familiar with the role of social media in their everyday lives. Anyone who reads this book has certainly experienced at least one if not more, or even all of the issues that it addresses. From mental and physical health to cyberstalking and bullying, to surveillance and brand attacks, to privacy concerns, to lies, rumors, and misinformation, this comprehensive work is a must-have for anyone involved in or simply interested in the various fields of communication." -- T. Phillip Madison, Ph.D., University of Louisiana - Lafayette "The impact of social media on the wellbeing of individuals and society is a hotly debated topic. The Dark Side of Social Media, by Sheldon, Rauschnabel, and Honeycutt, provides a concise, readable, insightful overview of the vast array of research on this topic. As such, it is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to cut through the mountains of speculative opinion on these issues and find evidence based perspectives." -- Aaron Ahuvia, Department of Management Studies, University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Business "The Dark Side of Social Media alerts us to the risks associated with individual or corporate presence on social networking sites. While acknowledging the extensive research that has found positive effects of social media, such as increased social support and social connectedness, the authors of this book review a wealth of studies that show how, in certain quantities or contexts, social media use can negatively impact our quality of life. Readers (be it students, scholars, or members of the general public) can learn about the detrimental effects of social media on their mental and physical health, self-love, privacy, romantic and friendship relationships, or reputation and brand. What makes this text particularly useful is that, in addition to pointing out problems, it also provides solutions for navigating these pitfalls and leveraging the affordabilities of social networking sites." -- Raluca Cozma, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Associate Director of Graduate Studies and Research, Kansas State University