the Future of Change

I am excited to announce the release of my new book, The Future of Change: How Technology Shapes Social Revolutions.  In it, I explore the interplay between social movements and innovations in communications throughout U.S. history and examine the previously undiscovered relationship between the two.  What I argue is that these innovations have not driven social change, as some might argue Facebook and Twitter do today.  Rather, the most successful social movements in U.S. history have often used such innovations as a means to an end and are not ends in themselves.  And what such movements have done with such tools is that they have leveraged them to build grassroots networks focused on face-to-face organizing and promote positive, inclusive messages that rally supporters and advance social change.  In the work, I study a range of social movements that have utilized communications technologies in creative and impactful ways—from the American revolutionaries and the Abolitionists to the Civil Rights Movement and the campaign for marriage equality.  I believe such a review can not only help to make some sense of the current media environment by placing it in historical context but also can show advocates and activists how to leverage contemporary technologies in effective ways and take a page out of the past to make change in the present and the future.   If you are so moved, check it out.  I hope that you find it interesting and compelling.  Feedback always welcome.