UBC journalism professor Alfred Hermida’s new book Tell Everyone: Why We Share and Why It Matters looks at the emerging research into how we use social media.

But far from being a tough slog through academic discourse, the text smartly weaves scholarly studies into the context of recent events — chronicling the activities of Boston Marathon Redditors to Tahrir Square YouTubers to Japanese earthquake tweeters.

Here’s the TL;DR version:

Not up on the concept of cognitive dissonance? Homophily? Pluralistic ignorance? Or situational awareness? Not a deal breaker. Just in time for Halloween, Tell Everyone (Doubleday Canada) is a social science literature review masquerading as light bedside reading from the business management section. Hermida has tucked the academic sourcing into 21 pages of endnotes and offered a highly readable 217-page tour of social movements, revolutions, journalistic gaffes and corporate PR disasters.

Read my full review at J-Source.