title: Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media
author:  Rory O'Connor 
description: <div>"In his lucid examination of the effects of digital technology, the author asserts that the evolution of web-based platforms and the rise of the Occupy movement has caused a marked decrease in our culture&#8217;s dependence on 'traditional models of organization' . . . O&#8217;Connor pulls no punches and effectively tracks the gains and losses of the movement in clear, energetic language. An erudite, constructive analysis."--<I>Kirkus Reviews</I><BR><BR>"Anyone who cares about the impact of the digital information revolution on democracy and culture can't afford to miss FRIENDS, FOLLOWERS AND THE FUTURE -- a story that moves as swiftly as the dizzying pace of change itself. Rory O'Connor combines journalistic integrity with a passionate belief in the power of ordinary people to change the world. Depending on your stake in the outcome, you will find this book inspiring, scary, or perhaps a bit of both." -- Andrew Heyward, Former President of CBS News<BR><BR>"This book is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and fair-minded survey of how social media are conveying -- and perhaps transforming -- what we want to know." -- Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education and author, most recently, of <I>Truth, Beauty and Goodness Reframed</I><BR><BR>"Before Rory O&#8217;Connor writes, he researches, ask questions, and asks them again before calling the the insiders who are the targets of his inquiry. He is persistent, even relentless, as a hard-charging reporter which is why his blogs, columns and this new book 'Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, And Killing Traditional Media' (City Lights, 2012) leaves you questioning your own assumptions and often superficial take on the issue at hand. Personally, he is a refugee from old media and as a multi-media man (films, books, blogs, websites, etc) , an early adopter to the new. But he didn&#8217;t stop there: he is a practitioner who wants to know where all this is headed and how the digital innovators and entrepreneurs think about what they do. This is a book in the know with ideas that we will all need to know as we navigate our personal and collective futures." -- Danny Schechter News Dissector.com<BR><BR>"With laser-like accuracy Rory O'Connor spotlights the key challenges and opportunities in the world of news and information, where technology has upended the old rules of how media is created and consumed. O'Connor's wise, savvy 'Friends, Followers and the Future' is an essential examination of how social media is transforming the lives of individuals and society at large. Read it and share it." -- J. Max Robins, Vice President/Executive Director,<BR>The Paley Center for Media<br><BR>"...O&#8217;Connor has put together a trustworthy introduction to the current state of play."--<I>Boston Globe</I><BR><BR>"If Glenn Beck keeps a J. Edgar Hoover-esque blacklist under his bed pillow, journalist Rory O&#8217;Connor is probably on it, appearing before Nancy Pelosi and George Soros. O&#8217;Connor turns a skeptical yet pragmatic eye to the likes of Facebook. He examines how such online networks empower citizens to create counternarratives to bullsh*t punditry, political spin, and corporate PR, while warning of the dystopian echo chamber they could realize, where every citizen becomes a bullsh*tting pundit, partisan hack, or corporate flak." --<I>SF Weekly</I><BR><BR><br></div><br /><br /><DIV>"In his lucid examination of the effects of digital technology, the author asserts that the evolution of web-based platforms and the rise of the Occupy movement has caused a marked decrease in our cultures dependence on 'traditional models of organization' . . . OConnor pulls no punches and effectively tracks the gains and losses of the movement in clear, energetic language. An erudite, constructive analysis."--<EM>Kirkus Reviews</EM><BR><BR>"Anyone who cares about the impact of the digital information revolution on democracy and culture can't afford to miss FRIENDS, FOLLOWERS AND THE FUTURE -- a story that moves as swiftly as the dizzying pace of change itself. Rory O'Connor combines journalistic integrity with a passionate belief in the power of ordinary people to change the world. Depending on your stake in the outcome, you will find this book inspiring, scary, or perhaps a bit of both." -- Andrew Heyward, Former President of CBS News<BR><BR>"This book is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and fair-minded survey of how social media are conveying -- and perhaps transforming -- what we want to know." -- Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education and author, most recently, of <EM>Truth, Beauty and Goodness Reframed</EM><BR><BR>"Before Rory OConnor writes, he researches, ask questions, and asks them again before calling the the insiders who are the targets of his inquiry. He is persistent, even relentless, as a hard-charging reporter which is why his blogs, columns and this new book 'Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, And Killing Traditional Media' (City Lights, 2012) leaves you questioning your own assumptions and often superficial take on the issue at hand. Personally, he is a refugee from old media and as a multi-media man (films, books, blogs, websites, etc) , an early adopter to the new. But he didnt stop there: he is a practitioner who wants to know where all this is headed and how the digital innovators and entrepreneurs think about what they do. This is a book in the know with ideas that we will all need to know as we navigate our personal and collective futures." -- Danny Schechter News Dissector.com<BR><BR>"With laser-like accuracy Rory O'Connor spotlights the key challenges and opportunities in the world of news and information, where technology has upended the old rules of how media is created and consumed. O'Connor's wise, savvy 'Friends, Followers and the Future' is an essential examination of how social media is transforming the lives of individuals and society at large. Read it and share it." -- J. Max Robins, Vice President/Executive Director,<BR>The Paley Center for Media <BR><BR>"...OConnor has put together a trustworthy introduction to the current state of play."--<EM>Boston Globe</EM><BR><BR>"If Glenn Beck keeps a J. Edgar Hoover-esque blacklist under his bed pillow, journalist Rory OConnor is probably on it, appearing before Nancy Pelosi and George Soros. OConnor turns a skeptical yet pragmatic eye to the likes of Facebook. He examines how such online networks empower citizens to create counternarratives to bullsh*t punditry, political spin, and corporate PR, while warning of the dystopian echo chamber they could realize, where every citizen becomes a bullsh*tting pundit, partisan hack, or corporate flak." --<EM>SF Weekly</EM><BR><BR> <BR></DIV>
zlib_text: Table of Contents
  Praise for Socialnomics
  Title Page
  Copyright
  Foreword
  Acknowledgments
  Social Superstar Support
  About This Book
  Introduction
  Chapter One: Word of Mouth Goes World of Mouth
  Is Social Media Just a Fad?
  Who Cares What You Are Doing?
  JetBlue Helps Reduce the Travel Blues via
  Twitter
  Foreign Friends Are Not Forgotten
  Search Engines and Social Media
  
  We No Longer Search for the News—It Finds
  Us
  Newspapers and Magazines Diminish in Power
  Playboy and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
  Issue Are Stripped Down
  Idaho Bloggers Are Better Than New York
  Reporters
  Not All Bloggers Are Bad
  Crowd-Sourced Information
  A Touch of Bacon Salt on Your Social Media
  Micro Revenue Streams Huge for Social Media
  Dancing Matt—Something to Chew On
  Flying the Not-So-Friendly Skies
  Chapter Two: Social Media = Preventive Behavior
  Staying in Touch with Your Teenagers
  Preventive Behavior for Business
  Chapter Three: Social Media = Braggadocian
  Behavior
  Just Do It, Did It
  Social Media Is the New Inbox
  “Are Y