<div dir="auto">This is exciting news!!! I can’t wait to get my hands on it</div><div><br clear="all"><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">I'd love to connect. Click <a href="https://cal.com/docdre/30min">https://cal.com/docdre/30min</a> to schedule a meeting with me!<br><br>André Brock <br>Professor<br>Department of Literature, Media, and Communication<br>Georgia Institute of Technology<br>Twitter: @DocDre<br><br>Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures<br><a href="https://opensquare.nyupress.org/books/9781479811908/">https://opensquare.nyupress.org/books/9781479811908/</a></div></div></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 7:19 PM Caroline Haythornthwaite via Air-L <<a href="mailto:air-l@listserv.aoir.org">air-l@listserv.aoir.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">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.<br>
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See details at: <a href="https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111829920/html" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111829920/html</a><br>
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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. <br>
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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. <br>
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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 (<a href="https://fragilestatesindex.org/indicators/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://fragilestatesindex.org/indicators/</a>). <br>
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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.<br>
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/Caroline<br>
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PS. Ask your library to order one :)<br>
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Caroline Haythornthwaite<br>
<a href="mailto:chaythor@syr.edu" target="_blank">chaythor@syr.edu</a><br>
Professor Emerita, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University<br>
Professor Emerita, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign<br>
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TITLE: Social Media as Fragile States: Vulnerabilities, Pressures, and Human Rights<br>
1 Social Media as Fragile States: Introduction<br>
2 Social Media as State<br>
3 Social Media Societies and Citizens<br>
4 Sources of Social Media Fragility<br>
5 Deriving the Social Media Fragility Indicators<br>
6 Vulnerabilities and Protections Indicator<br>
7 Social Pressures Indicator<br>
8 Fragmentation Indicator<br>
9 Human Rights Indicator<br>
10 Economic Indicator<br>
11 External Pressures Indicator<br>
12 Prominent Themes and Cross-Cutting Factors<br>
13 Looking Ahead<br>
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