The best 33 Social Media books

How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age (2011) is a modern adaptation of Dale Carnegie’s classic text, which has helped countless individuals improve their work and personal lives by developing their interpersonal skills. Designed to help you navigate the social media age, it will guide you in using digital tools to form deeper connections with others.

Stolen Focus (2022) begins with author Johann Hari experiencing a common problem: his attention span is diminishing. He can’t seem to focus on much outside of Twitter and online news. Over three years, Hari tries to identify the root causes of this problem. He uncovers a collective attention crisis that’s affecting the entire globe. From social media to the culture of productivity, Hari identifies the culprits behind our stolen focus – and wonders if, and how, we can claim it back.

Digital Minimalism (2018) is a practical guide to navigating today’s media landscape, where multiple billion-dollar companies are out to keep your eyes as glued to their platforms as possible. Fortunately, there is growing skepticism surrounding new technology and digital media. People are eager to regain their autonomy and, while they’re at it, live more satisfying and healthy lives. With these tools and methods, you too can regain the focus and productivity that comes from stepping back from new technology.

The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is (2022) offers startlingly new ways of understanding the world wide web, and strongly challenges us to examine our long-held beliefs about the supremacy of human cognition. It confronts our most closely-held (and least examined) ideas about the internet and social media, and weaves together observations from centuries of philosophy, mathematics, science and history.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (2022) by Gabrielle Zevin tells the story of Sadie and Sam, childhood friends turned creative collaborators and video game designers. The novel charts the tumultuous highs and lows of Sam and Sadie’s friendship against the vividly realized backdrop of the gaming industry at the turn of the 21st century. 

Digital Marketing Strategy (2016) is a guide to effective marketing in the digital age. From content marketing to social media and SEO, it offers a whistle-stop tour of the latest techniques and developments in this fast-moving and exciting domain.

Ten Arguments for Deleting your Social Media Accounts Right Now (2018) is a modern-day cri de coeur. It offers, with ten distinct arguments, an all but irrefutable case for deleting your social media accounts. From their ethically dubious data-selling practices to the way they manipulate users, current social media companies are doing society a major disservice. Your best option right now is to delete your accounts until better options emerge.

The End of Marketing (2020) is a guide to how brands should use social media. In an age when traditional marketing is no more, businesses must find ways to give their brands a human face, to capture the attention of social media users and win their trust.

Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen (2020) tackles the thorny subject of communicating with tweens – those adolescents between the ages of ten and fourteen who are beginning to pull away from their parents and close down lines of communication. This is the age at which “big” topics like sexuality, money, and life choices are more important than ever. But it’s also the age at which having a conversation with your child is harder than ever before. So what can parents do? Well, it’s time to learn a new way of talking with, and not at, your tween. 

See You on the Internet (2020) is a simple guide to navigating the world of digital marketing. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by the thought of building a website or running an email marketing campaign, See You on the Internet will walk you through planning, implementing, and measuring your digital marketing efforts.

Technology has changed our lives tremendously – in some ways for the better and in some ways for the worse. Alone Together explains how even though a great deal of new technology, like smartphones and social media, is supposed to bring us together, it actually makes us lonelier in the end.

Likeable Social Media (2011) is a handy guide to promoting your business on social media. This manual shows the best strategies for garnering positive attention on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.

The Art of Social Media reveals the most effective ways to promote yourself or your product professionally on social media platforms. The authors explain how to get the most of the many dominant social media platforms today, including Google+, Facebook, Twitter and others.

Our networked lives are often seen as a product of the recent past. After all, didn’t the internet, social media, globalized trade and international terrorist networks first emerge in the late twentieth century? Renowned historian Niall Ferguson begs to differ. Providing a sweeping overview of Western history, from the birth of the printing press to the election of Donald Trump, The Square and the Tower (2018) offers a compelling argument that networks have been a key driver of historical change for a very long time and will only become more important in the future.

Privacy is Power (2020) is a shocking exposé of the inner workings of surveillance capitalism. It reveals how, every day, hundreds of interested parties are violating your privacy and capitalizing on your personal data. Corporations, governments, and criminals alike are all busy collecting and exploiting your data in an effort to influence the way you think and behave. In these blinks, you’ll learn why your privacy is so important and what you can do to protect it.

The Big Disconnect (2013) is about the current generation of babies, toddlers and children growing up in the digital world. Digital media, from online games to social networking sites, have a profound impact on a child’s development, both intellectually and socially. These blinks outline the reasons why, and what parents can do to try to keep their children safe from these developmental hindrances.

The Thank You Economy (2011) describes how the advent of social media has changed the relationship between companies and their customers. It shows just how critical online engagement is for companies who want to succeed, and offers tips on how companies can use social media to influence their public image along the way.

The Reality Game (2020) sheds light on the murky world of “computational propaganda” – political manipulation using digital tools. Samuel Woolley argues that fake news, viral conspiracy theories, and Twitter bot armies don’t just sow confusion and discord; in his view, they also subvert the democratic process. That means it’s high time we fought back and reclaimed our digital space from today’s unaccountable mega-platforms. 

The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks (2020) describes how brands can create effective and authentic content by understanding the basics of human psychology. Drawing on Freudian psychoanalysis, it gets to the bottom of our online habits and shows brands how to connect with people on a deeper level.

The Gen Z Frequency (2018) offers a blueprint for brands seeking to connect and build meaningful relationships with Generation Z. In addition to providing insight into the minds of this growing demographic, the authors give actionable advice on content strategy, marketing, social media, and more. 

Think Like Zuck takes an in-depth look at the five principles that made Facebook the successful company it is today. With plenty of insight into founder Mark Zuckerberg’s inspiring approach to leadership and examples from other top technology companies, the author creates a roadmap for success for any aspiring entrepreneur.

Spin Sucks (2014) cuts through the out-dated marketing clichés and updates business communication for the social media age, where customer service blurs into brand messaging and every misstep is preserved for posterity. It teaches you how to maximize your SEO power and content marketing to reach – and retain – an audience for your product.

Hatching Twitter tells the story of the four men responsible for Twitter as we know it. It’s a tale of backstabbing, superstar glory and billions of dollars that chronicles the drama and defining decisions that made Twitter what it is today.

In Triggered (2019), Trump Jr. presents an excoriating critique of contemporary left-wing politics in the United States. These blinks expose what Trump Jr. perceives as the violent and hypocritical tactics used by the left to advance its agenda, from rampant political correctness to online abuse. They also explore the author’s belief that the greatest threat to freedom of speech today comes from the left.

An Ugly Truth (2021) is a critical look behind the scenes of Facebook. This in-depth investigation reveals the politics and personalities animating the rise and subsequent missteps of this controversial social media behemoth.

Broad Band (2018) tells the story of the women who played significant roles in the evolution of computers and the internet. It examines how these women became trailblazers in fields of work that were initially considered boring – but later proved to be of great importance.

Trendology (2014) examines how brands can use social media such as Twitter to make direct contact with their customer base, and can benefit from tapping into trends in the social media conversation. In addition to social media theory, Trendology offers a step-by-step guide on how to build a successful social media program and succeed in real-time marketing.

Social media isn’t a temporary fad – it’s changing business culture in a big way. A World Gone Social explains why it’s important for companies to evolve their own social media tactics, and includes helpful tips for business owners who want to embrace new technologies and build them into their gameplay.

Reading the Comments (2015) delves into the social phenomenon of online commentary. These blinks explore how online commenting became the force it is and examine commenting’s positive and negative influence on communication at large. Importantly, these blinks encourage you to think about the implications of online comments for the modern internet user.

In this practical guide for both business owners as well as employees, leading organization consultants Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant offer important tips for how to “humanize” corporations on both a cultural and organization level — all in order to position the company for effective growth in the social media age.

Social Media Is Bullshit puts a damper on the hype around social media by unveiling the economy behind it and addressing the commonly held misconceptions about the value of social networks for business. While social media can be a valuable asset for certain companies, it is not the cure-all that marketers and social media gurus would have you believe!

The book offers detailed information on how to create compelling products, then establish an online platform to get visibility for them. These blinks will walk through the process the author, Michael Hyatt, went through to build a successful career, by mastering social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. This book will show you how you, too, can monetize your social media platform and even turn it into a career.

Youtility (2013) goes against the grain of accepted marketing methods by declaring that information, not promotion, is the way to win customers. Counterintuitive and refreshing methods are presented, repositioning the relationship between businesses and consumers. The book outlines examples from a wide spectrum of companies, big and small, driving home the message that by helping people and being useful instead of chasing sales, companies can prosper in the long-term.