The Dark Side of Social Media: Psychological, Managerial, and Societal Perspectives examines how social media can negatively affect our lives. The book tackles issues related to social media such as emotional and mental health, shortened attention spans, selective self-presentation and narcissism, the declining quality of interpersonal relationships, privacy and security, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, misinformation and online deception, and negative peer effects. It goes on to discuss social media and companies (loss of power, challenging control mechanisms) and societies as a whole (fake news, chatbots, changes in the workplace). The Dark Side of Social Media: Psychological, Managerial, and Societal Perspectives empowers readers to have a more holistic understanding of the consequences of utilizing social media. It does not necessarily argue that social media is a bad development, but rather serves to complement the numerous empirical findings on the "bright side" of social media with a cautionary view on the negative developments. - Focuses on interpersonal communication through social media - Focuses on psychology of media effects - Explores social media issues on both an individual and societal level - Documents the rise of social media from niche phenomenon to mass market - Examines the differences between creating and consuming content

"The Dark Side of Social Evils" delves into the pervasive issues plaguing modern society, shedding light on the underlying causes and consequences of these injustices. Through twenty-one comprehensive chapters, the book explores a wide array of topics, from poverty and education disparity to gender inequality, racism, and domestic violence. It addresses the often-overlooked issues of elder abuse and mental health stigma, while also tackling more systemic problems like corruption, political oppression, and environmental degradation. Each chapter provides a detailed analysis of these social evils, aiming to raise awareness and inspire action towards a more equitable and just society. The book culminates in a call to action, offering pathways to create lasting positive change.

An expert in criminology and psychology uses science to understand evil in today’s society. What is it about evil that we find so compelling? From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem inescapably drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the aberrant people who commit them. But evil, Dr. Julia Shaw argues, is largely subjective. What one may consider normal, like sex before marriage, eating meat, or working on Wall Street, others find abhorrent. And if evil is only in the eye of the beholder, can it be said to exist at all? In Evil, Shaw uses an engrossing mix of science, popular culture, and real-life examples to break down timely and provocative issues. How similar is your brain to a psychopath’s? How many people have murder fantasies? Can artificial intelligence be evil? Do your sexual proclivities make you a bad person? Who becomes a terrorist? If you could travel back in time, would you kill baby Hitler? In asking these questions, Shaw urges readers to discover empathy and to rethink and reshape what it means to be bad. Evil is a wide-ranging exploration into a fascinating, darkly compelling subject from wickedly smart and talented writer. Praise for Evil “A brilliant panorama that elucidates humanity’s dark side. . . . This science-based foundation for studying the minds of sadists, mass murderers, freaks and creeps, as well the new role of tech in promoting evil is presented in a totally engaging fashion.” —Philip Zimbardo, PhD; Professor Emeritus, Stanford University; author of The Lucifer Effect “This overview of various kinds of aberrant behavior grouped under the umbrella term evil is well backed up by the expertise of Shaw. . . . Shaw’s work will be particularly appropriate for college and high school libraries for its sober-minded, academically rigorous examination of an oft-sensationalized subject.” —Publishers Weekly “Capably written with a smooth mix of scientific insight and theoretical thought, the book will hopefully inspire empathy and understanding rather than hysteria and condemnation. A consistently fascinating journey into the darker sides of the human condition that will push on the boundaries of readers’ comfort zones.” —Kirkus Reviews

In this book, one of the world’s leading social theorists presents a critical, alarmed, but also nuanced understanding of the post-traditional world we inhabit today. Jeffrey Alexander writes about modernity as historical time and social condition, but also as ideology and utopia. The idea of modernity embodies the Enlightenment’s noble hopes for progress and rationality, but its reality brings great suffering and exposes the destructive impulses that continue to motivate humankind. Alexander examines how twentieth-century theorists struggled to comprehend the Janus-faced character of modernity, which looks backward and forward at the same time. Weber linked the triumph of worldly asceticism to liberating autonomy but also ruthless domination, describing flights from rationalization as systemic and dangerous. Simmel pointed to the otherness haunting modernity, even as he normalized the stranger. Eisenstadt celebrated Axial Age transcendence, but acknowledged its increasing capacity for barbarity. Parsons heralded American community, but ignored modernity’s fragmentations. Rather than seeking to resolve modernity’s contradictions, Alexander argues that social theory should accept its Janus-faced character. It is a dangerous delusion to think that modernity can eliminate evil. Civil inclusion and anti-civil exclusion are intertwined. Alexander enumerates dangerous frictions endemic to modernity, but he also suggests new lines of social amelioration and emotional repair.

The human capacity for destructiveness is often referred to as humanity's "dark side." In this book, prominent writers share different, sometimes opposing views on humanity's dark side and consider how these views impact their clinical practice.

Evil. Women. The Feminine. The relationships that bring together these three ideas form the basis for the papers gathered together in this volume. By asking how, why, when, and to what purpose these three terms are often linked serves as the starting point of interrogation for each of the authors here considered.

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