Research Catalog

Title

#Republic : divided democracy in the age of social media / Cass R. Sunstein.

Author

Sunstein, Cass R.

Publication

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2017]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xi, 310 pages : illustrations; 25 cm

Summary

"As the Internet grows more sophisticated, it is creating new threats to democracy. Social media companies such as Facebook can sort us ever more efficiently into groups of the like-minded, creating echo chambers that amplify our views. It's no accident that on some occasions, people of different political views cannot even understand each other. It's also no surprise that terrorist groups have been able to exploit social media to deadly effect. Welcome to the age of #Republic. In this revealing book, Cass Sunstein, the New York Times bestselling author of Nudge and The World According to Star Wars, shows how today's Internet is driving political fragmentation, polarization, and even extremism--and what can be done about it. Thoroughly rethinking the critical relationship between democracy and the Internet, Sunstein describes how the online world creates "cybercascades," exploits "confirmation bias," and assists "polarization entrepreneurs." And he explains why online fragmentation endangers the shared conversations, experiences, and understandings that are the lifeblood of democracy. In response, Sunstein proposes practical and legal changes to make the Internet friendlier to democratic deliberation. These changes would get us out of our information cocoons by increasing the frequency of unchosen, unplanned encounters and exposing us to people, places, things, and ideas that we would never have picked for our Twitter feed. #Republic need not be an ironic term. As Sunstein shows, it can be a rallying cry for the kind of democracy that citizens of diverse societies most need."--

Alternative Title

Hashtag republic

Subjects

• Internet > Political aspects
• Polarization (Social sciences)
• Political participation > Technological innovations
• Social media > Political aspects
• POLITICAL SCIENCE > Censorship
• POLITICAL SCIENCE > Political Freedom & Security > General
• Democracy
• POLITICAL SCIENCE > Political Ideologies > Democracy
• Political culture
• Information society > Political aspects
• POLITICAL SCIENCE > Public Policy > General

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

The daily me -- An analogy and an ideal -- Polarization -- Cybercascades -- Social glue and spreading information -- Citizens -- What's regulation? : a plea -- Freedom of speech -- Proposals -- Terrorism.com -- #Republic.

Call Number

JFE 17-4085

ISBN

• 9780691175515
• 0691175519

LCCN

• 2016038668
• 40027001070

OCLC

958799819

Author

Sunstein, Cass R., author.

Title

#Republic : divided democracy in the age of social media / Cass R. Sunstein.

Publisher

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2017]

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Standard Identifier

40027001070

Research Call Number

JFE 17-4085