SOCIAL MEDIA

The author’s careful “both sides” approach is evident from the start, with mention of the jaw-dropping income of a young U.S. TikTok influencer followed by official concerns over TikTok’s Chinese Communist Party links. In chapters examining online misinformation, harassment and trafficking, addiction, and political disinformation and suppression, the negative aspects have the upper hand. That’s as it should be, since positive uses are readily summoned up, while social media’s dangerous side is often hidden. “Media saturation overload” and other forms of psychological stress can result from excessive exposure to these negatives. Moderation and parental monitoring are suggested; government intervention might or might not help; and tech companies themselves have made some efforts toward user protection. Negatives are analyzed so that readers can recognize and potentially avoid them, sometimes by using other tech, such as apps. Of course, the connection, communication, and learning made possible by social media are positive things, and AI offers hope for identifying disinformation. The book also describes the online organization of social justice and pro-democracy protests, as well as entrepreneurial endeavors. Sidebars repeat key quotations. Stock photos show people of different ages and races. This is a concise and thought-provoking overview of a critically important subject.