Chris Bail is professor of sociology and public policy at Duke University, where he directs the Polarization Lab. He is the author of Terrified: How Anti-Muslim Fringe Organizations Became Mainstream (Princeton). Website chrisbail.net Twitter @chris_bail
Masterful . . . immediately relevant. . . . Breaking the Social Media Prism answers important questions about the origins of our current political environment and suggests how existing platforms and reward systems might be redesigned to make things better. Bail's scientific conclusions are refreshing in a space dominated by informed speculation, and the book offers hope that data-driven solutions can bring us back from the brink. ---Jennifer Golbeck, Science [Bail] draws on extensive interviews with social media users to explore the profound differences between people's online and real-life personas, and lucidly details his own efforts to develop a new social media platform that cultivates more civil discourse. This is a persuasive and well-informed look at one of today's most pressing social issues. * Publishers Weekly * [A] brilliant case . . . for social science research. * Library Journal * Breaking The Social Media Prism challenges the accepted wisdom of echo chambers and algorithms & suggests that if we really want to solve political tribalism online the solution isn't just some isolated thing called technology but also inside ourselves. ---Samira Shackle, With Reason Podcast Essential reading for many of us who are concerned with the impact of social media on civility and democracy. ---Andrew Keen, Keen On podcast Smartly and engagingly challenges assumptions about how [ideological and cultural echo] chambers work. ---Frank Bruni, New York Times Every one of Bail's chapters threads together multiple lines of thought - some dating back decades or centuries - interweaving the frontiers of online social science research with the traditions they emerge from. . . . Bail's analysis of the problem of online polarization is clarifying and compelling. ---Paul Rosenberg, Salon Provides useful pointers for understanding online (mis)behavior. * Kirkus Reviews * A really, really important book and really educational. ---Sophie Roell, Five Books