Jen Schradie's The Revolution that Wasn't in Wired
Finishing up that reading list? Check out Wired's "14 Must-Read Books of the Summer," which includes Jen Schradie's The Revolution That Wasn't: How Digital Activism Favors Conservatives!
From the summary:
A thousand starry-eyed writers (myself included) have imagined the internet as the great leveler—the bringer of global digi-democracy, a place where grassroots activists can stand alongside traditional power brokers and have an equal chance of being heard. Even as the internet veered toward Russian-influenced dystopia, the optimistic view persisted unchallenged, probably because people like me really wanted it to be true. Then sociologist Jen Schradie delivered a swift kick to my cerebral cortex. "Not only is technology failing to erase the barriers toward organizing movements," she writes. "It may be making things worse." Ouch. No me gusta. Also: She might be right. In The Revolution That Wasn't, Schradie explains that, while Black Lives Matter and #MeToo capture headlines, it's traditionally powerful conservative groups who have used digital tools to create tangible change. Hers may not be the internet culture take you want this summer, but it's likely the one you need. —Emma Grey Ellis
Purchase the book here!
Read the full Wired list here!