[Air-L] My book, Twitter and Tear Gas, on networked social movements is almost out! And a plea!

Mon May 15 17:44:03 PDT 2017

Congratulations Zeynep! I already received my copy as an endorser:), but
will order a couple more for the AUC library.
All the best.
Rasha

Rasha A. Abdulla, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Graduate Director
Journalism and Mass Communication
The American University in Cairo
www.rashaabdulla.com
Twitter: @RashaAbdulla
<http://twitter.com/rashaabdulla>

On May 15, 2017 11:50 PM, "Cristiane S Damasceno" <csdamasc at ncsu.edu> wrote:

> Congratulations, Zeynep!
>
> I'll order mine on Amazon.
> Best,
> Cristiane
>
> On Mon, May 15, 2017 at 10:39 AM, Zeynep Tufekci <socnetres at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Dear Friends,
> >
> > My book, *Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked
> > Protest*, is officially out on May 16th! That is tomorrow! It is
> published
> > with an academic press, and has a lot of conceptual work and engages
> > theories social movements, public sphere and technology, but I tried to
> > write it with as much narrative structure as possible to make it readable
> > to broadest audiences.
> >
> > Some news: there will be a free creative commons copy of my book. It will
> > be available as a free PDF download in addition to being sold as a bound
> > book. This is with the hopes that anyone who wants to read it can do so
> > without worrying about the cost. However, this also means that I need to
> > ask that a few people who can afford to do so to please consider
> purchasing
> > a copy
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428745-www.amazon.com/twitter-tear-gas-
> fragility-networked/dp/
> > 0300215126?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>.
> > This is not just so that Yale University Press can do this for more
> > authors, but also because if it is not sold (at least a little bit!) in
> the
> > initial few weeks, bookstores will not stock it and online algorithms
> will
> > show it to fewer people. No sales will mean less visibility, and less
> > incentive for publishers to allow other authors creative commons copies.
> >
> > Another request I have is that, if you do read it  (and especially if you
> > liked it, heh!), please consider leaving a review on Amazon
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428745-www.amazon.com/twitter-tear-gas-
> fragility-networked/dp/
> > 0300215126?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> >  or Goodreads
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428749-www.goodreads.com/book/show/
> > 32714239-twitter-and-tear-gas?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>.
> > This is not an attempt to inflate its reviews but a request to help me
> > fight back the inevitable attempts to suppress books like mine that talk
> > about about repressive governments and censorship and other hot-button
> > topics. (If you follow me on Twitter, you can see that I constantly do
> > engage with negative criticisms and welcome feedback, good or bad). Given
> > my topics, my book is likely to be targeted by a deliberate campaign to
> > suppress its visibility because the trolls who game algorithms know that
> > books that are negatively rated are shown to fewer people, and also that
> > even when people know that some reviews are just shills, the initial
> > impression means something. If you search for a book on Google, all you
> see
> > is the number of stars with no context whether a good deal of those are
> > one-star reviews that are purposefully malicious, and are not by readers
> of
> > the book. This has happened to other books like this, and I've already
> > started seeing a few signs targeting my book. A flood of actual reviews
> not
> > only fights that off and averages out the "one star ratings" of trolls,
> it
> > signals that it's not worth the effort to try to torpedo it this way.
> (On a
> > side note! What a world!)
> >
> > I negotiated the creative commons copy with my (wonderful!) publisher
> Yale
> > University Press because I really wanted to do what I could to share my
> > insights as broadly as I could about social movements and the networked
> > public sphere. If I make a penny more from this book because it sells
> well
> > by some miracle, I will donate every extra penny to groups supporting
> > refugees, and if I ever meet you in person and you purchased a copy of
> the
> > book in support, please let me know and I'll buy the coffee or beer. :-D
> > This isn't at all about money for me.
> >
> > Encouraging more free creative commons copies is especially important
> > people in developing countries for whom book delivery and cost is an
> issue,
> > and I was such a person until I came over to the United States. I was
> never
> > able to afford or find all the books I wanted to read. This also helps
> > undergraduate and graduate students help pay less for books that they
> need.
> >  If some of you buy this book, publishers can feel more empowered to let
> > other authors also provide free copies online. It is not as easy as "just
> > blog your material." I do a lot of that, but writing a book that is
> > coherent and more readable takes a lot of effort and editing from the
> > publisher, and they can't just do that for free.
> >
> > So if you can afford it: please consider purchasing my book. Amazon link
> is
> > here
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428745-www.amazon.com/twitter-tear-gas-
> fragility-networked/dp/
> > 0300215126?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>,
> > and Yale University Press link with other options for purchase is here
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428757-yalebooks.com/book/9780300215120/
> > twitter-and-tear-gas?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>.
> > (Ordering it today counts as a "pre-order", a stronger signal to the
> > algorithms and bookstores!). I will announce the website and the creative
> > commons copy soon, on social media and on my next newsletter
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428761-tinyletter.com/zeynepnotes?c=ac41426a-
> > ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > .
> >
> > Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me and interacted with me
> > through the years. If you do end up reading the book, please do know
> that I
> > would love to hear from you. I may need to fight back trolls online, but
> I
> > truly appreciate feedback and consider it a gift.
> >
> > best,
> > -zeynep
> >
> > Review of Twitter and Tear Gas from Inside Higher Education
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428765-www.insidehighered.com/blogs/library-babel-fish/when-
> > internet-angry?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > :
> >
> > If you’re interested in what’s happening in the world today, this book
> is a
> > fascinating read. Even if you’re not, it's an unusually informative book
> > about digital platforms usually examined apart from political life.
> > Social interactions in the digital world in the context of political
> > activity is insightfully explored through this wonderfully readable
> > academic study.
> >
> > Publishers Weekly
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428769-www.publishersweekly.com/
> 9780300215120?c=ac41426a-ff61-
> > 4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > :
> >
> > This insightful and analytical account of mass protest in the 21st
> century
> > focuses on the “intertwined” power and weaknesses of new technologies
> that
> > can be used to galvanize large numbers of people. ... This comprehensive,
> > thought-provoking work makes a valuable contribution to understanding
> > recent political developments and provides a clear path by which
> grassroots
> > organizers can improve future efforts.
> >
> > Financial Times
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> > twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> > small-plea/8428773-www.ft.com/content/8eb634ce-2f36-11e7-
> > 9555-23ef563ecf9a?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > :
> >
> > The author is also insightful on how governments and politicians are
> moving
> > from censorship, no easy task on social media, to attention-grabbing and
> > misinformation. “Just as attention is under-appreciated as a resource for
> > social movements, distractions and ignorance are under-appreciated as
> > methods of repression through denial of attention,” she writes. Sowing
> > cynicism is a powerful tool against protest: “If everything is in doubt,
> > while the world is run by secret cabals that successfully manipulate
> > everything behind the scenes, why bother?”
> >
> > Twitter and Tear Gas is packed with evidence on how social media has
> > changed social movements, based on rigorous research and placed in
> > historical context.
> >
> > --
> > ----
> > Zeynep Tufekci, Ph.D.
> > Associate Professor, University of North Carolina
> > Contributing Opinion Writer <http://www.nytimes.com/
> column/zeynep-tufekci
> > >,
> > The New York Times
> > Faculty Associate Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
> >
> > Newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/zeynepnotes
> > Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@zeynep
> > Website: http://www.technosociology.org
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > http://www.aoir.org/
>
>
>
>
> --
> Cristiane S. Damasceno
> Ph.D. - Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
> North Carolina State University
> cristianesdamasceno.com
> _______________________________________________
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