[Air-L] Teaching: Replacing *NetSmart* (2012)

Joseph Reagle joseph.2011 at reagle.org
Thu Jul 13 05:41:03 PDT 2017


For the last five years I've been using Howard Rheingold's *Net Smart: How To Thrive Online* (2012). It's been great because it introduces lots of important ideas in the context of learning how to be a more informed and capable netizen. For example, how to be mindful, skeptical, and make use of the power of social networks.

Five years on, though, the book is a bit dated (e.g., discussion of the del.icio.us social bookmarking site). I am thinking I should look for alternatives. I don't think I'll be able to find a single book to replace it, but I hope to find a more current reading or two (perhaps chapters from different books) that cover similar ground.

I welcome recommendations!


"Attention," ch=1
:   multi-tasking; executive control; intention & mindfulness when online

- Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, *The Distraction Addiction* (2013). Excellent, but a whole book rather than a chapter or two.  


"Crap detection," ch=2
:   appropriate skepticism, finding credible sources, fake news


"Participation power," ch=3
:   participatory culture, folksonomy, playbor

    
"Social-digital know-how," ch=4
:   evolution of cooperation, Dunbar's number and scale, social dilemmas (tragedy of commons, public goods, prisoner's dilemma) 


"Social has a shape," ch=5
:   strength of weak ties, 80/20, long tail


I've put this in a Google Doc too, if you want to make a suggestion there.

<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hb5_jZAOSNriIOjmJGQkRyOGodeWb-XhyeUGU5iLHXY/edit?usp=sharing>

Thank you for any suggestions :-)



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