Mainly relating to American civil issues, this book looks at how advances in technology have assisted the rapid changes of the past few generations, from the campaigners for the abolition of slavery to the passing of the GI Bill and today's presidential campaigns. Steam-powered printing presses turned out leaflets and books much more rapidly than hand ones; telegraph and networking assisted groups to disseminate information quickly.

Some well-used examples are given: the tragedy of the commons, the prisoner's dilemma, difference in social status, social capital. We learn about the latter in terms of bonding - amongst a local network - and bridging - between networks. Bridging with the advantages of trade and spread of ideas has been shown to lead to more advances, while bonding may build a trustworthy community but can lead to being insular.

The book is aimed for a university level of reader, and while it is not overly heavy in technical terms, I did find the lengthy paragraphs offputting. The discussion of the postal system is full of paragraphs over 20 lines, and one is 36 lines. Game theory has a paragraph of 33 lines. Breaking these into two chunks would make them more approachable and easier to follow and retain.

The author tells us he spent several years as a lawyer for tenant rights groups in a socially disadvantaged area (34 lines para, 40 lines) but relates generalities, not personal accounts from these days.

New media and new digital networks are of course a large part of the discussion. Included are organising rallies and Egypt's revolutions in real-time chat online; the author says this was much cheaper than telegrams, but nobody has yet explained to me how the world's poorest could afford Blackberries and smartphones when I could not. Most of the content covered is about America, though, with people, groups, Acts and politicians of whom I know little if anything, so I can't presume to judge the impressions given. Undoubtedly, life is speeding up and we see how fast the works of one group inspire another. Confirmation bias and spreading fake news are covered. As is the breach of personal data and trust which led to the passing of data about 87 million Facebook users to Cambridge Analytica (whose leaders boasted to undercover journalists that it could and had influenced elections, not mentioned).

Notes P187 - 201, Bibliography P203 - 218, Index 219 - 224. I counted 13 names which I could be sure were female in the Index. I counted 87 names which I could be sure were female in the Bibliography. As this interesting account is not ideal for the general reader and has no charts, graphs, or pictures in my e-ARC, I'm giving four stars, but university level readers of social theory or communication theory may rate the book five stars.
I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

I gave THE FUTURE OF CHANGE by Ray Brescia a neutral rating of 3 stars because, realizing that the publication date is April 15, I thought I had more time to download it. Unfortunately, access expired today, April 2. And I do wish that I had had time to spend investigating this title because I believe that our students would be interested in Brescia's exploration of the relationship between communications technology, social movements, and social change. Instead, we are living in the midst of the communications technology shift to remote learning and all of the adjustments, learning and surprises along that road.

Yet another nonsense book that is a total waste of any readers time. This law school professor asserts that our ever-improving means of communication can only strengthen community organizing. Well bless his little heart for this barely significant thought.