Twitter A Biography

"Twitter: A Biography is not merely a historical exploration of a digital platform. It is a biographical retelling of a collective experience, one muddied and complicated by media ecology and an ever-changing system wherein the power balance between users and creators has been in constant flux ... It is a biography of us." (The Journal of Popular Culture) "A deeply original book. Burgess and Baym provide both a deep historical understanding and innovative methodology, amassing to a project greater than the sum of its parts. Twitter has come to play an outsized role in the production of culture, politics, and civic engagement; fittingly, this little blue book not only maps the social life of Twitter as a platform, but also demonstrates how to think critically about the platforms we use. Burgess and Baym's Twitter is thought-provoking, engaging, and relevant to all of us who log on." - Zizi Papacharissi, editor of the Networked Self series "Burgess and Baym have accomplished a rare feat: They have revealed the history of Twitter to be dynamic and fascinating, have put the users of Twitter in the forefront of the story, and have embedded the story with so many gems of brilliant insight that students, scholars, and retweeters alike will all learn much and enjoy this book." - Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy