{"product_id":"writing-on-the-wall-social-media-the-first-2000-years","title":"Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2 000 Years","description":"\u003cp\u003ePapyrus rolls and Twitter have much in common  as each was their generations signature means of instant communication. Indeed  as Tom Standage reveals in his scintillating new book  social media is anything but a new phenomenon.  From the papyrus letters that Roman statesmen used to exchange news across the Empire to the advent of hand-printed tracts of the Reformation to the pamphlets that spread propaganda during the American and French revolutions  Standage chronicles the increasingly sophisticated ways people shared information with each other  spontaneously and organically  down the centuries. With the rise of newspapers in the nineteenth century  then radio and television  mass media consolidated control of information in the hands of a few moguls. However  the Internet has brought information sharing full circle  and the spreading of news along social networks has reemerged in powerful new ways.  A fresh  provocative exploration of social media over two millennia  Writing on the Wall reminds us how modern behavior echoes that of prior centuries-the Catholic Church  for example  faced similar dilemmas in deciding whether or how to respond to Martin Luthers attacks in the early sixteenth century to those that large institutions confront today in responding to public criticism on the Internet. Invoking the likes of Thomas Paine and Vinton Cerf  co-inventor of the Internet  Standage explores themes that have long been debated: the tension between freedom of expression and censorship; whether social media trivializes  coarsens or enhances public discourse; and its role in spurring innovation  enabling self-promotion  and fomenting revolution. As engaging as it is visionary  Writing on the Wall draws on history to cast new light on todays social media and encourages debate and discussion about how well communicate in the future.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44945321459765,"sku":"ByrdShop_1620402831","price":26.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781620402832.jpg?v=1769883183","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/writing-on-the-wall-social-media-the-first-2000-years","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}