Humans R Social Media - 2024 "Living Book" Edition

Reviewed by Kryss Shane, Affiliate, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 6/15/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

There is a lot of coverage of terms and details within this book. I wish there'd been more focus on the hate and doxxing aspects and the real repercussions of hateful messaging on the receiver, but I know this can only be so long a book!

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Strong awareness within for current social media trends. However, this book will need ongoing updates as society changes and evolves with social media.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

It is definitely relevant, especially for professions where there are Codes of Ethics which include social media use!

Clarity rating: 5

It was very clearly written. However, I wonder if it is too easily written for those fluent in English and at the collegiate level, as some of this seemed obvious to social media users and written in shorter words. I wonder if this might be a better fit for high school level or for those who aren't fluent in English and need more ease for reading.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is definitely consistent throughout, making the concepts easy to understand and the framework clear.

Modularity rating: 5

This was an easy read, with the ability to pull sections or chapters out as needed. I could see individual chapters being useful in courses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, on technology, on ethics, and on professional boundaries.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics were presented in a logical and clear way.

Interface rating: 5

No interface problems.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No consistent grammatical errors apparent.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

This book is inclusive in that social media applies to everyone. However, I don't think enough emphasis was placed on the realities that Black people face more social media discrimination or that Black trans women are often subjected to doxxing and hate. Shadowban conversations should also be included so that those who are LGBT+ can be mindful that social media may intentionally try to silence them due to their identity and their content, without their knowing it.

Comments

I think this book could benefit from tying into specific professional Codes of Ethics to speak to each's rules or why they matter, with more examples that are specific, but I think this is a good primer to the topic, especially for younger learners.

Reviewed by LaDonna Aiken, Broadcast Specialist, University of Texas at Arlington on 6/28/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

While this text does a nice job covering several aspects of social media, beginning with defining it and then diving into various ways it is used and why, I felt there could have been more information on the art and creativity aspect of social media. Besides the intellectual and emotional impulse to share and communicate thoughts and information, there is the desire for creativity, art, and music. There could be a chapter or two added to discuss visual aesthetics, graphic design, and audio content in social media.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The writing was free from errors and the author presents a neutral, fact-based narrative of information. Student content is clearly marked and the author writes in a clear, concise, easy-to-read style. Information is supported with studies and citations from a variety of sources.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Social Media, by its very definition, is ever evolving and changing. The content in this text is up-to-date and written in a way that it should be easy to update, but it WILL require updates to stay relevant. The author warns in the very beginning of the impermanence of this 'book' and the fragility of website links and content value. You should consider the text an 'evolving' and almost living document, which thrives with your feedback and author updates.

Clarity rating: 5

I found the text easy to read, with lots of context, examples, word definitions, and related content for deep dives and alternative views.

Consistency rating: 5

Each chapter fits together as one voice, with the same care and attention throughout. Terminology is defined for a broad audience, and it felt as if each chapter was in sync with the others as far as content and consistency.

Modularity rating: 4

The text would be easy to share with students based on the chapters, sub-headings, student content, core concepts and questions, and related content. You can choose to share just the relevant content for your needs, and it will be easy for students to find.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

In the beginning the author leads you through what social media is, some history behind it, and the basic tenets of how it works, in a sort of scaffolded way. Once you get into the various ways it is used, it spreads out a bit but transitions well between topics. For example, after exploring memes and persuasive communication, my next thought was "what about factual information?", which is exactly what came next. It's organized in a logical way to me.

Interface rating: 4

You definitely want to share this using the online version, rather than the PDF. There are many interactive media links that will require online access. For the most part it is laid out well and easy to navigate, but there could be problems depending on the browser you use. For example, some of the wrap-around text was hard to read with certain images, because words where broken up or hyphenated on the side, when it would have been best to just place the text underneath.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is grammatically correct and written in a way that is accessible and easy to read.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I felt the author took great care to be inclusive, as well as sensitive to cultural norms. There are a variety of examples that address cultural and racial issues, and the student content is diverse as well, which I think is very important.

Comments

I plan to use this text in my "Multimedia" class, where we discuss content creation with mobile devices. It's a natural fit with social media, where the content will likely reside. Once we get past the mechanics of creating content, understanding how and why it can be used with social media is an important part of the process.