[Air-L] New Book: Social Media as Fragile State

[André Brock]

This is exciting news!!!  I can’t wait to get my hands on it


I'd love to connect. Click https://cal.com/docdre/30min to schedule a
meeting with me!

André Brock
Professor
Department of Literature, Media, and Communication
Georgia Institute of Technology
Twitter: @DocDre

Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures
https://opensquare.nyupress.org/books/9781479811908/

On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 7:19 PM Caroline Haythornthwaite via Air-L <
air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

> I am pleased to share that my book "Social Media as Fragile State:
> Vulnerabilities, Pressures, and Human Rights” is now available in hardcover
> (May 2026), with digital and paperback versions to follow.
>
> See details at:
> https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111829920/html
>
> Drawing on years of my research and of many others (particularly from
> AoIR) the book begins by examining the way that social media platforms take
> on characteristics of states — but fragile states. The first four chapters
> take up the concepts of Social Media as State, Social Media Societies and
> Citizens, and Sources of Social Media Fragility.
>
> The book then outlines six “Social Media Fragility Indicators” derived
> from aggregating major issues facing society and social media platform.
> Chapters discuss each of the six indicators — Vulnerabilities and
> Protections, Social Pressures,  Fragmentation, Human Rights, Economic, and
> External Pressures indicators, as well as factors that cross these
> indicators.
>
> Rather than a classification system for every case facing social media,
> the indicators are presented as a framework for use in eliciting
> consideration of each category of fragility. This approach derives from the
> Fund for Peace Fragile States Indicators (
> https://fragilestatesindex.org/indicators/).
>
> I hope AoIR readers will find the earlier chapters useful for review
> and/or introduction to major issues around social media, and that the
> Indicators will provide a useful framework for approaching issues relating
> to social media and social media platforms. Chapter list below.
>
> /Caroline
>
> PS. Ask your library to order one :)
>
> Caroline Haythornthwaite
> chaythor at syr.edu
> Professor Emerita, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University
> Professor Emerita, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois
> at Urbana Champaign
>
> TITLE: Social Media as Fragile States: Vulnerabilities, Pressures, and
> Human Rights
> 1          Social Media as Fragile States: Introduction
> 2          Social Media as State
> 3          Social Media Societies and Citizens
> 4          Sources of Social Media Fragility
> 5          Deriving the Social Media Fragility Indicators
> 6          Vulnerabilities and Protections Indicator
> 7          Social Pressures Indicator
> 8          Fragmentation Indicator
> 9          Human Rights Indicator
> 10        Economic Indicator
> 11        External Pressures Indicator
> 12        Prominent Themes and Cross-Cutting Factors
> 13        Looking Ahead
>
>
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