Facebook's psychological experiments and Edward Snowden's NSA leaks epitomize a world of increasing information awareness in the social media ecosystem. With over a billion monthly active users, Facebook as a nation is overtaking China as the largest country in the world. President Barack Obama, in his 2011 State of the Union Address, called America "the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers" and "of Google and Facebook." U.S. Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel opines that America has become a "Facebook nation" that demands increased transparency and interactivity from the federal government.
Ubiquitous social networks such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and YouTube are creating the technologies, infrastructures, and big data necessary for Total Information Awareness - a controversial surveillance program proposed by DARPA after the 9/11 attacks. NSA's secret PRISM program has reinvigorated WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's accusation that "Facebook is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg once said, "We exist at the intersection of technology and social issues." This book offers discourse and practical advice on the privacy issue in the age of big data, business intelligence in social media, e-government and e-activism, as well as personal total information awareness. This expanded edition also includes insights from Wikipedian Emily Temple-Wood and Facebook ROI experts Dennis Yu and Alex Houg.
Ubiquitous social networks such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and YouTube are creating the technologies, infrastructures, and big data necessary for Total Information Awareness - a controversial surveillance program proposed by DARPA after the 9/11 attacks. NSA's secret PRISM program has reinvigorated WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's accusation that "Facebook is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg once said, "We exist at the intersection of technology and social issues." This book offers discourse and practical advice on the privacy issue in the age of big data, business intelligence in social media, e-government and e-activism, as well as personal total information awareness. This expanded edition also includes insights from Wikipedian Emily Temple-Wood and Facebook ROI experts Dennis Yu and Alex Houg.
"Lee looks into the era of total information awareness in which we now find ourselves, and discusses in detail the implications for our society and our individual privacy. ...This is a very well-researched book and to say that each chapter ends with an extensive list of references ... . book is very current and easy to read. Parents in particular would be well advised to make this book compulsory reading for their teenage children before allowing them to go online." (David B. Henderson, Computing Reviews, June, 2015)
From the reviews:
"Newton Lee's book, Facebook Nation: Total Information Awareness, is a great book for social media experts, offering a comprehensive look at Facebook in the context of social media, and covering privacy well. Facebook Nation is full of facts, stories, and quotes that will give you plenty to talk about with clients and co-workers. You can open any page of this book and read something that is interesting and worth knowing about social media. ... The chapters on facial-recognition technology, ambient social apps collecting data on you constantly, and other insights about your digital footprint will give you plenty to think about. ... Facebook Nation is the most thoroughly researched book I have seen about Facebook. ... Facebook Nation is a must have for the social media expert's bookshelf. The wealth of facts contained in the book make it worth buying, and anyone active in the social space should be aware of the privacy considerations related to what they are building." (Will M., AllFacebook.com, January, 2013)
"The author illustrates the pervasiveness of Facebook with stories of people addicted to using it. ... The author gives a number of examples of misinformation on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. ... The book is peppered with interesting tidbits that make it easy to read. ... any reader, technical or nontechnical, will benefit from it."(G. K. Gupta, ACM Computing Reviews, March, 2013)
"For anyone who has used a Facebook account to log on to any site, this work serves as an information disclosure on what individuals actually share when they post and what they voluntarily release to anyone with an account. ... Lee's book highlights how the information that people share can be used to help or harm them; it also will educate readers about this new irrevocable paradigm or technology integration. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers." (T. D. Richardson, Choice, Vol. 50 (9), May, 2013)
"Newton Lee's book, Facebook Nation: Total Information Awareness, is a great book for social media experts, offering a comprehensive look at Facebook in the context of social media, and covering privacy well. Facebook Nation is full of facts, stories, and quotes that will give you plenty to talk about with clients and co-workers. You can open any page of this book and read something that is interesting and worth knowing about social media. ... The chapters on facial-recognition technology, ambient social apps collecting data on you constantly, and other insights about your digital footprint will give you plenty to think about. ... Facebook Nation is the most thoroughly researched book I have seen about Facebook. ... Facebook Nation is a must have for the social media expert's bookshelf. The wealth of facts contained in the book make it worth buying, and anyone active in the social space should be aware of the privacy considerations related to what they are building." (Will M., AllFacebook.com, January, 2013)
"The author illustrates the pervasiveness of Facebook with stories of people addicted to using it. ... The author gives a number of examples of misinformation on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. ... The book is peppered with interesting tidbits that make it easy to read. ... any reader, technical or nontechnical, will benefit from it."(G. K. Gupta, ACM Computing Reviews, March, 2013)
"For anyone who has used a Facebook account to log on to any site, this work serves as an information disclosure on what individuals actually share when they post and what they voluntarily release to anyone with an account. ... Lee's book highlights how the information that people share can be used to help or harm them; it also will educate readers about this new irrevocable paradigm or technology integration. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers." (T. D. Richardson, Choice, Vol. 50 (9), May, 2013)