This book explores how people interact online through anonymous communication in encrypted, hidden, or otherwise obscured online spaces. Beyond the Dark Web itself, this book examines how the concept of ‘dark social’ broadens the possibilities for examining notions of darkness and sociality in the age of digitality and datafied life. The authors take into account technical, moral, ethical, and pragmatic responses to ourselves and communities seeking to be/belong in/of/ the dark. Scholarship on the Darknet and Dark Social Spaces tends to focus on the uses of encryption and other privacy-enhancing technologies to engender resistance acts. Such understandings of the dark social are naturally in tension with social and political theories which argue that for politics and ‘acts’ to matter they must appear in the public light. They are also in tension with popular narratives of the ‘dark recesses of the web’ which are disparaged by structural powers who seek to keep their subjects knowable and locatable on the clear web. The binary of dark versus light is challenged in this book. The authors’ provocation is that practices of ‘dark’ resistance, motility and power are enacted by emerging data cultures. This book draws together scholarship, activism, and creativity to push past conceptual binary positions and create new approaches to darknet and dark social studies. The Dark Social: Online Practices of Resistance, Motility and Power will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of media studies, cultural studies, communication studies, research methods, and sociology. This book was originally published as a special issue of Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies.

With the departure of European Muslims to the “Islamic State” and a wave of terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years, the questions of why and how individuals radicalize to Jihadi extremism attracted keen interest. This thesis examines how individuals radicalize by applying a theoretical framework that primarily refers to social capital theory, the economics of religion, and social movement theory. The analysis of the biographical backgrounds, pathways of radicalization, and network connections of more than 1,300 Jihadi extremists from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland shows that radicalization primarily need to be considered as a social process of isolation from former social contacts and affiliation with a new religious group. Radicalization is characterized by the transformation of social capital and often channeled through so-called “strong ties” to friends and family members. These peer networks constitute the social fundament of radical clusters on the local level which are usually linked to a broader milieu through exclusive mosque communities and religious authorities. Bonding social capital within these radical groups minimizes the risk of betrayal and promotes trust essential for clandestine and risky activities.

Shortlisted for the Business Book Awards 2022 From Donald Trump's outrageous tweets to the impact of the GRU (Russia's military intelligence agency) on foreign elections, through to echo chambers and amplification by bots and networks - the negative side of social media is becoming ever more apparent. Now far removed from a comfortable landscape of cat videos and family pictures, social media is now open to exploitation from a range of sources, from disgruntled employees to 'fake news'. The negative impact of social media upon the workplace can have damaging consequences for businesses. Reputations can be ruined overnight, employees can manipulate social media feeds to their own advantage, and the boundaries between professional and personal social media conduct can become dangerously blurred. Dark Social is an approachable and widely applicable guide to the dangers of social media, and the steps that can be taken by businesses to avoid any negative consequences as a result of social media activity. Despite these risks, social media should not be neglected - it has become a fundamental part of business literacy and is now an essential element of any successful marketing & PR campaign. Drawing upon illustrative case studies and organizational psychology, Dark Social is a timely and fascinating insight into the darker side of social media.

The Darker Side of Social Media: Consumer Psychology and Mental Health takes a research-based, scientific approach to examining problematic issues and outcomes that are related to social media use by consumers. Now in its second edition, it relies on psychological theories to help explain or predict problematic online behavior within the social media landscape through the lens of mental health. With an aim to provide solutions, the authors spotlight the key issues affecting consumer well-being and mental health due to the omnipresence and overuse of social media. The book dissects the unintended consequences of too much social media use, specifying key problems like disconnection anxiety, eating disorders, online fraud, cyberbullying, the dark web, addiction, depression, self-discrepancies, and serious privacy concerns (especially impacting children or young people). The book provides grapples with mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, and eating disorders that can be intensified by, or correlated with, too much social media use. The authors meticulously review the various facets of the darker side of online presence and propose actionable solutions for each of the problems stated, providing scholars with a conceptual model with propositions for continued research. This international exploration of social media is a must-read for students of marketing, advertising, and public relations, as well as scholars/managers of business, marketing, psychology, communication, management, and sociology. It will also be of interest to social media users, those navigating new media platforms parents, policymakers, and practitioners.

Every year around three-quarters of a million people die (directly or indirectly) as a result of gun violence, with most deaths occurring in the poorest, yet also most highly weaponized parts of the world. Firearm proliferation -- 875 million global firearms -- is a direct contributor to both regional conflicts and to crime. This book attempts to understand the inter-related dynamics of supply and demand which are weaponizing the world. Now over ten years after Peter Squires’s Gun Culture or Gun Control?, the issues pertaining to gun violence and gun control have developed dramatically. With Gun Crime in Global Contexts, Peter Squires offers a cutting-edge account of contemporary developments in the politics of gun crime and the social and theoretical issues that surround the problem. This book contains: an innovative political analysis of neo-liberal globalization and weapon proliferation; an overview of recent gun control debates and gang strategies in the UK; an updated analysis of US gun politics: self-defence, race and the ‘culture war’; a critical analysis of US school and rampage shootings, how they have impacted the gun debate and how different societies have responded to mass shootings; an examination of the UN's development of an Arms Trade Treaty (2001--13); a discussion of weapon trafficking; discussions about youth gangs around the world, including those in Brazil, Kenya, West Africa, Mexico and South Africa. With its interdisciplinary perspective and global reach, this book will be important reading for academics and students interested in youth and gang crime, violent crime and comparative criminal justice, as well as peace and security studies and international relations.

Digital Dilemmas looks at the dynamics of power and resistance surrounding the internet. It focuses on how publics, nation-states, and multilateral institutions are being continually reinvented in local and global decision-making domains that are accessed and controlled by a relative few. Importantly it unpacks the ways in which computer-mediated power relations play out as "on the ground" and "cyberspatial" practices and discourses that collude and collide with one another at the personal, community, and transnational level. Case studies include homelessness and the internet, rights-based advocacy for the online environment at the United Nations, and how the ongoing battle between proprietary and open source software designs affects ordinary people and policy-making. The result is an innovative and groundbreaking critique of the way new paradigms of power and resistance forged online reshape traditional power hierarchies offline, at home and abroad.

This unique Handbook provides multiple perspectives on the growth of illicit trade, primarily exploring counterfeits and internet piracy. It includes expert opinion on a wide range of topics including the evaluation of key global enforcement issues, government and private-sector agency initiatives to stifle illicit trade, and the evolution of piracy on the internet. The authors also assess the efficacy of anti-counterfeiting strategies such as targeted consumer campaigns, working with intermediaries in the supply chain, authentication technology, and online brand protection.

This is a book about the comics genre and language, how these were used to create Batman, and how that character's longevity is largely due to the medium's unique formal qualities. It argues that Batman's core appeal is his mythic nature which allows him to transcend changes in reader tastes, the vicissitudes of the comics industry, and the changing media landscape. While including some historical elements, it is mostly a study of how the formal aspects of comics are able to evoke uniquely mythic qualities that have made Batman such a long-lived cultural phenomenon and how efforts to adapt these qualities into other media, particularly live-action feature films, have succeeded or failed based on the strategies employed. The book sheds light both on comics as a medium and art form with its own language, syntax and codes and on the process of adaptation--a growing area of study, given Hollywood's continuing interest in working with comic book superheroes.

This book examines the state of strategic communication as a discipline and how it has emerged as a unique area of scholarship in the beginning of the 21st century. Strategic communication encompasses all communication that is substantial for the survival and sustained success of entities like corporations, governments, non-profits, social movements, and celebrities. A major aspect of the field is the purposeful use of communication by an organization to engage in conversations of strategic significance to its goals. The contributions in this book provide unique insights, make compelling arguments, and highlight promising areas of scholarship in strategic communication. Presented in four parts, the chapters explore the emergence of strategic communication, its conceptual foundations, its expanding body of knowledge, and the foundation for further development and new directions in the field. Of interest to those studying communication from the perspectives of communication science, management theory, organizational studies, or business administration, this volume will also be useful for readers who are new to strategic communication, and who are interested in the field for its new avenues of research. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Strategic Communication.

In a noisy, fast-paced marketing world, customer insight holds the key to creating memorable, purpose-driven marketing. This book shows precisely how customer insights can be used to build a marketing mission with purpose. Customer Insight Strategies outlines the critical role of customer insight and provides techniques and strategies that will help marketers identify trends, nurture leads and understand consumers - ultimately, empowering them to grow profits. The strategies are explained in a straightforward, jargon-free manner, and can be applied to a huge range of marketing challenges, regardless of time, budget or organizational size. Customer Insight Strategies discusses many of the core methods through which customer insight can be gleaned, providing easy-to-follow guidelines for applying them to everyday marketing practice. Covering topics such as customer segments, marketing to personas and lead generation, it contains global case studies from organizations including Cisco, NTT, Refinitiv and The Co-op as well as interviews with leading business professionals sharing their thoughts on using customer insights to grow profits. Written by a highly respected thought-leader and industry influencer, this book will help any professional create truly powerful marketing.