SHARE THIS! by Deanna Zandt

After I read (and immensely enjoyed) Deanna Zandt's new book, Share This!, I wondered if I'd made the wrong decision to deactivate my Facebook and Twitter accounts. They provided interesting windows to the world beyond my own, but I wasn't sure how useful they were. I bought Share This! to educate myself about what social networking is really all about.

Zandt's book doesn't explain how to use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums, etc. (that's what tutorials are for); instead she focuses on, as her subtitle says, " How You Will Change the World with Social Networking." This is a book about impacting change. For the first time in history, we all can have a say. No longer are we merely a massive ear for privileged voices, those empowered by government, corporations and the news and advertising media; these voices, whether by accident or intention, limit our knowledge and therefore shape our opinions to suit someone else's agenda. However, with electronic media at our fingertips, our information range is broadened on a horizontal level--we can learn from each other, and, through online communities and even independent blogs, we can be heard. That's potential power to move mountains, or at least move people to demand solutions to oil spills.

But we're new at this; most of us are still used to thinking of ourselves as powerless, isolated individuals. ("I'm just one person. What can I do?") According to the author, that's about to change and already is changing here and there. She cites examples of communities affecting and effecting local political and educational policies. Someone throws a pebble in the cyber pond of information and opinions, and the ripples get noticed; soon there's more pebble-tossing until the whole pond is churning with ideas.

Throughout the book, Zandt emphasizes the necessity of building trust if we, the people, realize that by taking the reins of this new power horse, we CAN form a more perfect union and secure the blessings of liberty. Trust, according to the author, involves being as open about our identity as we are comfortable with, being open with our opinions and being unafraid to change our minds as we learn more about ourselves and each other. As Deanna Zandt points out, "It's impossible to tackle deep-seated social injustices without understanding the beliefs of those who oppose fixing those injustices, and the Internet provides that opportunity."

Maybe I will reactivate my Facebook and Twitter memberships.