Loading...

Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age

ISBN: 978-0-745-65238-2

December 2012

Polity

220 pages

EditionsPreviousNext
Description

Twitter has become a household name, discussed both for its role in prominent national elections, natural disasters, and political movements, as well as for what some malign as narcissistic “chatter.” This book takes a critical step back from popular discourse and media coverage of Twitter, to present the first balanced, scholarly engagement of this popular medium.

In this timely and comprehensive introduction, Murthy not only discusses Twitter’s role in our political, economic, and social lives, but also draws a historical line between the telegraph and Twitter to reflect on changes in social communication over time. The book thoughtfully examines Twitter as an emergent global communications medium and provides a theoretical framework for students, scholars, and tweeters to reflect critically on the impact of Twitter and the contemporary media environment. The book uses case studies including citizen journalism, health, and national disasters to provide empirically rich insights and to help decipher some of the ways in which Twitter and social media more broadly may be shaping contemporary life.

About the Author
Dhiraj Murthy is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College.
Features
  • The first scholarly consideration of the phenomenon that is Twitter.
  • There is a huge amount of scholarly and popular interest in Twitter and this book steps back from the hype to consider its true social, political and communicative import.
  • The book is anchored around the argument that we live in a time of ‘update cultures’.
  • Uses a broad range of examples, from natural disasters such as the Japanese tsunami, through the site’s use in social movements like the events surrounding the Arab Spring, and celebrity usage.