Social Networks Chapter 1 Summary

The World’s Social Network:

Staying Connected and Informed, Together as One

In chapter 7, “Global Netizens: Social Media’s Role in Social and Political Change”, June Johnson sheds light on the impact social networks has on the world’s social and political changes. Some of the key terms discussed in the chapter include, social media, prosumers, netizens, iPod liberalism, global digital divide (GDD), virtual private networks (VPN), mass society, and public society. The stakes here are the potential use and manipulation of social media. The stakeholders are the general public that shares the same interest of participating in these social networking networks. In the thinking visually portion, Johnson includes a picture of an African child that is mimicking a phone by using a brick instead to expand her purpose of the chapter. In the international voices, a group of people developed a website where they translate social media news and posts in more than twenty languages. The global hotspot is Russia because it sheds light on how effective social media campaigns and exchanges can be in bringing fairness in political campaigns.

Tharoor provides the reader with data, historical events, and evidence that supports the idea that the movement has reached a more global spectrum, rather than just being in the United States. In the article Tharoor states, “In many respects, the furor around police shootings in the United States is and will remain a uniquely American story.” (1). Tharoor makes his stance very clear from the beginning of his article to the reader. Throughout the rest of his work, the reader can also gather a sense of passion in his tone and his choice of words. Also, from his article, the reader can gather Tharoor makes the U.S. government the primary stakeholder, with the stakes being the lives of many innocent