Facebook Democracy: The Architecture of Disclosure and theThreat to Public Life

摘要

Jose Marichal's book on the role that Facebook can play in political participation and the construction of political identities online offers a refreshing look at Facebook outside of the typical constraints of the interpersonal. At times however the book misses out on a discussion of key theoretical concepts in computer-mediated and political communication that are needed to understand just how far one can take the argument about the public-private nature of Facebook. One cannot help but feel frustrated reading this book at times, wondering why it is Marichal does not spend more time addressing things that he picks up and moves away from rather swiftly, such as: latent ties, social identity, Facebook use during the 2008 presidential election in the United States, the hyperper-sonal model (Walther) and more. All of these are topics worthy of consideration, but need more attention paid to them in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of Facebook. More often than not, Facebook Democracy skims the top level of literature related to understanding the role Facebook can play in the creation of a public identity versus personal, leaving the reader with more questions than answers to those initial questions posed by the author.