Abstract
In the book New Media and Society, Deana Rohlinger delivers an in-depth look at the importance of media. While providing a general understanding of how media teach us the norms and behaviors of our social world, she also complicates this influential role by considering its proprietary interests. Unlike other books that assume media act in a vacuum, Rohlinger provides readers the opportunity to consider how new media influence other social institutions—family, education, religion, work, law, and politics—and uses this framework to organize the book.
Before doing so, Rohlinger begins with a comprehensive overview of basic sociological concepts (e.g., social institutions, structure, agency, social exchange model). This foundational chapter is key for setting up the remainder of the book, stressing the importance of considering the relational dynamics between media, individuals, and institutions rather than determining if new media are “good or bad” for us (p. 14). She considers how new media affect perceptions of who we are and provide the opportunity to experiment with our identity. Drawing on topics of community, relationships, and authenticity, Rohlinger reflects on the extent to which ontological security is enhanced or diminished by our enhanced engagement with new media platforms (e.g., Second Life, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube).
The remaining chapters analyze specific social institutions, outlining how the relationship between these spaces and mass media affect society. The first chapter focuses on education in the digital age, highlighting how parents use the internet to navigate school options and resources or provide homeschooling curriculum. The analysis heralds the importance of online tools for helping ailing schools but also cautions us about believing that internet access can save schools that can’t afford to pay their teachers or can fix the documented ways school systems can reinforce race and class inequality.
Rohlinger’s discussion of the impact of media on religion takes an important historical approach, highlighting sacred texts like the Bible or the Quran and the role of televangelism to argue that media have always been an integral part of amplifying religious beliefs. She goes on to consider both the promises and pitfalls of increased connection and dissemination. Yes, following Pope Francis on Twitter or listening to a sermon podcast facilitates greater connections to the public, but should we blend sacred discourse with grocery shopping? Rohlinger makes room for such questions. She also helps readers understand how new media can both facilitate awareness of lesser-known religions (e.g., Wicca) and enable religious persecution or terrorism via the same tools.
Rohlinger then introduces readers to the blurry boundary of surveillance authority, explaining how corporations who harvest data for economic gains also give that information to the government. Through a series of case studies and examples, this chapter provides a firsthand look at how our own practices contribute to this surveillance culture. In the chapter on work, audiences reflect on employers’ ability to surveil candidates during the application process and the implications of always being “on” after hire. Woven into these broader topics is a more nuanced discussion of how the kind of work one does is mediated in different ways. While some might benefit from the autonomy afforded by new media, others might experience increased alienation or find that the technology increases managers’ ability to control every aspect of their work.
In the last theoretical chapter, Rohlinger addresses the role new media have on democratic participation. She uses the historical example of Life magazine’s coverage of the violence against peaceful protestors in Birmingham to demonstrate media’s historical role in amplifying issues of civil unrest. In this important chapter, she describes how all media (not just Twitter) can influence politicians’ platforms and enhance the connections between constituents and those who represent them.
Rohlinger ends where she began, considering the invisible ways new media affect our interactions and everyday experiences. By focusing our attention on relational dynamics, the book provides a holistic understanding of how changes in the institutional context (i.e., the rise of new media forms) has affected the way actors engage with one another, shaping both their behavior and the behavior of others. The book concludes with an informative table that summarizes the author’s arguments (p. 231).
For professors inclined to use this book in the classroom, one might consider enhancing the book with more discussion on concentrations of power. Rohlinger addresses how state and individual actors use media to ensure they stay on top, but educators might also want to address how these pitfalls are coded into new media corporate structures. Thinking specifically within the context of the social exchange model, one might consider how a small handful of conglomerates (e.g., Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook) shape the kinds of information we ultimately interact and engage with by selling our data to advertisers. While the book provides readers with a chart of which corporations protect consumer data from government surveillance (p. 141), readers should also consider how these corporations create and maintain silos of self-fulfilling and polarizing information.
In short, this book is excellent. Each chapter is well organized and clearly written, and I would highly recommend the text for teaching undergraduates. Rohlinger not only provides insight into how new media are changing (or reproducing) existing structures; she also imparts basic sociological lessons irrespective of new media’s influence (e.g., considering how redlining influences school resources). Highlights include a “key concepts” section at the beginning of each chapter with comprehensive definitions of major sociological ideas in an easily digestible format; classroom exercises and assignment ideas including links to videos, newspaper articles, and other resources; review questions to help spur discussion; and a “learn more” section of robust sources for audiences interested in delving further into particular topics. I encourage educators in sociology, communications, and media studies departments to use this book in the classroom, and I also believe that sociology graduate students and professors could benefit from reading this book to fully understand the impact new media have on the institutions we study.