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Understanding Social Media
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Understanding Social Media

Second Edition


September 2019 | 232 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

Exploring questions of both exploitation and empowerment, Understanding Social Media provides a critical conceptual toolbox for navigating the evolution and practices of social media.

Taking an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach, it explores the key themes and concepts, going beyond specific platforms to show you how to place social media more critically within the changing media landscape.

Updated throughout, the Second Edition of this bestselling text includes new and expanded discussions of:

  • Qualitative and quantitative approaches to researching social media
  • Datafication and algorithmic cultures
  • Surveillance, privacy and intimacy
  • The rise of apps and platforms, and how they shape our experiences
  • Sharing economies and social media publics
  • The increasing importance of visual economies
  • AR, VR and social media play
  • Death and digital legacy

Tying theory to the real world with a range of contemporary case studies throughout, it is essential reading for students and researchers of social media, digital media, digital culture, and the creative and cultural industries.

 
Chapter 1 Introduction
 
Chapter 2 Approaches to Social Media
 
Chapter 3 Histories of Social Media
 
Chapter 4 Datafication and Algorithmic Cultures
 
Chapter 5 Mobile Applification
 
Chapter 6 Geolocation and Social Media
 
Chapter 7 Social Media Visualities
 
Chapter 8 Mobile Media Art: The Art of the Social
 
Chapter 9 Museums and New Visualities
 
Chapter 10 Paralinguistics
 
Chapter 11 Social Media Mixed Reality
 
Chapter 12 Social Media and Death
 
Chapter 13 Conclusion

Strengthens the exisitng reading list, with a more recent and useful perspective.

Mr Keith Patrick
Westminster Business School, Westminster University
October 11, 2020

Understanding Social Media is an excellent introduction for my Master students in applied communication, especially those who specialize in media literacy, in order to have a quick though complete understanding of the algorithmic cultures or the (new) visualities that social media offer.

Professor Mathieu de Wasseige
Language, H.E.G./I.H.E.C.S.
May 21, 2020

I enjoy the book for my course on entrepreneurship and innovation when we focus our discussions on aspects of social media. I am using the book for suggested supplemental reading. At the same time, I feel it is less business and management oriented, and could hence dive a bit deeper into the strategic aspects of social media use.

Dr Sven-Ove Horst
Department of Media & Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam
November 11, 2020

A great book, covering all aspects of social media, easy to navigate and very informational for professionals .

Miss Sam Ford
Psychology, Southend Adult Community College
January 29, 2020

One of the courses for our media students is focused around Media and Society, and this book treats a vital part of the course content

Dr Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam
Mass Communications, University of Cape Town
March 4, 2020

The book offers a practical approach over the social media. It is designed to help students and lecturers to understand better social media communication. Authors provide a critical framework for understanding the evolution of social media and its impact on media and communication field. Students can learn more from the case studies in each chapter of the book.

Dr Erlis Cela
Communications, Beder University
December 2, 2019

Fantastic content, very contemporary. easily broken down for students to grasp. Highly recommended

Miss Zoe-Clair Jackson
Department of Humanities & Science, Grimsby Institute of HE And FE
April 30, 2020

It has not been delivered to me.

Professor Ayse Fulya Sen
Journalism, Firat Universitesi
September 21, 2019

Sample Materials & Chapters

Introduction


Larissa Hjorth

Larissa Hjorth is Professor in the Games Program at the School of Media & Communication, at RMIT University, Australia.  More About Author

Sam Hinton

Sam Hinton is Senior Lecturer in Media, Arts and Design Faculty at the University of Canberra, Australia.  More About Author

Purchasing options

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ISBN: 9781526425966
£33.99
ISBN: 9781526425959
£96.00

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