Critical Perspectives on Social Media and Protest

At last, a collection on social media and protest that is genuinely critical, spanning both the nature of the technological tools the political-economic environment they are part of, the organisational responses these formations then lend themselves to and the political consequences they reap. Rich in detail, broad in remit, interrogatory by design this will be my 'turn to' book on this subject for years to come. -- Natalie Fenton, Professor of Media and Communications, Goldsmiths University of London
Refusing simple explanations and traversing protest movements from around the globe, this collection is essential reading for academics and activists alike. The volume interrogates the power and systemic shortcomings of corporate-based social media as deployed during moments of revolution, rupture, and dissent. Operating simultaneously as an authoritative force that regiments social relations and a fetishistic object that congeals desires, these media are shot through with a series of contradictions. -- Gabriella Coleman, Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy Department of Art History & Communication Studies, McGill University
This collection provides a much-needed antidote to the ready equation of social media and political empowerment. It counters the cyber-hype with a truly critical collection of readings that explore the political limits and potentials of social media. This is a crucial volume for anyone interested in the key political question of our time: the relationship between media technology and activism. -- Mark Andrejevic, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Pomona College