1Social media are an integral part of contemporary society; transforming the way we communicate, use information and understand the world, so we must explore critical questions about social media and dig deeper into issues of ownership, power, class and (in)justice. This book does just that, equipping students with a critical understanding of the complexities and contradictions at the heart of social media's relationship with society.

The revised and expanded Third Edition

• Explores populism, racism and nationalism in a new chapter on right-wing authoritarianism.
• Introduces the phenomenon of social media influencers and in the age of Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.
• Explains how big data is central to social media in a new chapter on big data capitalism and imperialism.
• Explores the growing prominence of platforms and platform capitalism.
• Challenges you to envision and achieve a truly social media that serves the purposes of a just and fair world.

There are winners and losers in the age of digital capitalism. This book is an essential guide for anyone who wants to critically understand how we got here, and what we can do to change it.