Book Assignment

When searching for a book on Amazon.com, I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a book that was copyrighted within the last two years. I persevered, however, and found an incredibly fascinating book titled “The Instagram Book.” The book contains 200 pages of glossy Instagram pictures and an in depth analysis of the creative online network. Furthermore, it describes the revolutionary app Instagram, and its ability to transform amateur photographers and their photos into artful and crafty works of art. Unfortunately, I could not find this book on the Project Muse and Proquest databases to scan their reviews, and Amazon.com didn’t have a review either but I’d be interested to see how Steve Crist and Megan Shoemaker portray the revolutionary Instagram.

My search extended further as I typed in “Network Society” into Amazon.com and found an interesting book entitled, “Society and the Internet: How Networks of Information in Our Lives” by Mark Graham. The book utilizes research and analysis to describe the diffusion networking has on society today through a political, economic and social lens. This book was also not featured on the databases.

Finally, I looked up the book “Digital Disconnect” by Robert W. McChesney.

The review states: “hailed as “important” (Truthdig) and praised for its “excellent insight” (Patricia J. Williams, The Nation), Digital Disconnect, by activist and “exemplary public intellectual” (Choice) Robert W. McChesney, skewers the assumption that a society drenched in information in a digital age is inherently a democratic one.” –New York Times. The Book portrays society in economic terms and relates it to growing democracy and capitalism. This book was on Proquest.com and reviewed by Dylan Roberts of Canadian Dimension.  http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/pqrl/docview/1411126705/CA20F6E1939A487FPQ/1?accountid=465

citation: Roberts, Dylan. "Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy." Canadian Dimension May 2013: 46. ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2014 .