Social Media

Usage and Impact

By (author) Hana S. Noor Al-Deen, John Allen Hendricks Stephen F. Austin State U

Publication date:

10 November 2011

Length of book:

328 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

241x161mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780739167298

Within the past ten years, social media such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, and others have grown at a tremendous rate, enlisting an astronomical number of users. Social media have inevitably become an integral part of the contemporary classroom, of advertising and public relations industries, of political campaigning, and of numerous other aspects of our daily existence.

Social Media: Usage and Impact, edited by Hana S. Noor Al-Deen and John Allen Hendricks, provides a comprehensive and scholarly analysis of social media. Designed as a reader for upper-level undergraduate and graduate level courses, this volume explores the emerging role and impact of social media as they evolve. The contributors examine the implementation and effect of social media in various environments, including educational settings, strategic communication (often considered to be a merging of advertising and public relations), politics, and legal and ethical issues. All chapters constitute original research while using varied research methodologies for analyzing and presenting information about social media.

Social Media: Usage and Impact is a tremendous source for educators, practitioners (such as those in advertising, PR, and media industries), and librarians, among others. This collection is an essential resource for any media technology course. With the rapid proliferation and adoption of social media, it is a juggernaut that must be addressed in the higher education curriculum and research.

List of Figures and Tables
List of Appendices

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Social Media and Social Networking
Chapter 1. Facebook
Chapter 2. Social Media and Persuasion
Chapter 3. The Trivial Pursuits of Mass Audiences Using Social Media
Part II. Social Media and Education
Chapter 4. Social Media in Education
Chapter 5. You Can't Go Back Now
Chapter 6. Tweeting 101
Chapter 7. Cultivating a Community of Learners
Part III. Social Media and Strategic Communication
Chapter 8. Attitudes and Perceptions about Social Media among College Students and Professionals Involved and Not Involved in Strategic Communications
Chapter 9. Beyond the Press Release
Chapter 10. Marketing and Branding in Online Social Media Environments
Part IV. Social Media and Politics
Chapter 11. Social Media and the Millennial Generation in the 2010 Midterm Election
Chapter 12. Social Media and Youth Activism
Chapter 13. Black Youth, Social Media, and the 2008 Presidential Election
Part V. Social Media and Legal/Ethical Issues
Chapter 14. Legal Pitfalls of Social Media Usage
Chapter 15. The Realm of the Expected
Chapter 16. Tweets, Blogs, Facebook, and the Ethics of 21st Century Communication Technology
Index
About the Editors
About the Contributors

This excellent edited book smartly moves the literature about social media past the wow-gee-whiz/technology-love-fest stage that has accompanied the emergence of these new means of communication. It gives a good 360-view of why social media are important, including who uses them, and how and why they use them. It also covers legal and ethical issues raised by social media, a crucial set of concerns that come to the fore as these media grow in adoption, usage, and influence. Communication students will find in this book a thoughtful and rich perspective on activities they take for granted and accept uncritically.