Hunter Phipps

Adam Padgett
English 1102
25 February 2014

Annotated Bibliography
Inquiry: Is the rise of social media and smartphones affecting society in a positive or negative
way?
Proposed thesis: "Social Media and Smartphones are connecting the world more today more
than it ever has before."

Hanson, Jarice. 24/7: How Cell Phones and the Internet Change the Way We Live, Work, and
Play. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 2007. Print.
With the rise of technology, it seems that our lives would be made much easier and
simpler, making large tasks that would normally require a large amount of time, very
little. In this article, Hanson makes a very good point, opposing my opinion of how the
pros outweigh the cons. She states, "It would seem logical that we could use these
technologies to make our lives easier, so why do we continue to feel so much stress?"
Even though I am very pro technology, this is a valid statement and will require me to do
a lot of research to provide facts on how technology is a good thing rather than just
making us more and more miserable with our everyday lives. This article stands against
me and will make interesting arguments against my case.
Mandiberg, Michael. The Social Media Reader. New York: New York University Press, 2012.
Internet resource.
This book by Michael Mandiberg has some very interesting material and shares much of
my opinions on social media. I think we can all agree that social media has changed
society, but in what sense is where the argument lies. With the rise of social media,
many state that it is harming the person to person interaction skills that many people
believe is so important. I partially agree with that argument, however it is a skill that is
becoming less important. Much of the time now, business owners, peers, and even
professors are communicating through social media and transforming the relationships
for the good, due to the easy access to communication. That is the argument Mandiberg
is making and fits very well within my arguments.
Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business.
Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley & Sons, 2013. Internet resource.
Qualman offers very optimistic opinions in this book, that almost acts as a guide to the
social media we use every day. Many see social media as a pass-time, and not a tool. If
everyone on social media understood what a tool it could be, it would greatly increase
the chances of succeeding at their goals. Qualman describes the power of social media,
especially in the business world. Due to the mass percent of users in social media, it
describes how successful it can be for advertising tools and reach consumers directly.
Also he describes how social media can be a great tool for everyday people. It has very
good information and supports my argument thoroughly.
Seo, Kay K.-J. Using Social Media Effectively in the Classroom: Blogs, Wikis, Twitter, and More.
New York, NY: Routledge, 2012. Print.
A book by Kay Kyeong-Ju Seo is one that many of us can relate to. It explains how the
uses of social media and technology can be very beneficial in the class room. With
getting the experience of tweeting our thoughts and new information learned in this
class, and the use of blogs of our beliefs and ideas in others, I fully believe in the idea of
using social media in the class room. To have all the ideas and thoughts built up on a
topic, getting to do an informal "brain-dump" and share thoughts with others acts as a
type of relief. Also, it makes it fun. I would rather get out my phone and tweet, than sit
down and write my ideas on a piece of paper and turn it in. This book describes these
situations and is another great resource for my argument.
Solis, Brian, and Deirdre Breakenridge. Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social
Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of Pr. Upper Saddle River, N.J: FT Press, 2009.
Print.
One of the keys to writing a decent research paper is having contrasting views. With
Hanson's article, it makes it very interesting, contrasting her thoughts with mine.
Another great article contrasting my beliefs is this book by Brian Solis. The title of the
book is putting the public back in public relations, which is pretty self explanatory. At
this point in time, when we think of the easiest way to reach the "public", we think of
social media. Even though in my opinion this is a great and simple way to get our ideas
and news out, Solis disagrees. He believes that we need to get back to being personable,
and having face to face interactions. This book will provide great contrasting
information to my paper, and should help improve my ideas if I find facts to prove his
ideas negligible.