Saving Social: The Dysfunctional Past and Promising Future of Social Media

Social media is broken — or at least it appears that way. To many, the industry seems to have come undone, but what if, in fact, it’s just coming together? As social media has become integrated into both business and mainstream culture, we’ve seen euphoric novelty give way to hysteria around the ill effects of misinformation, data privacy and polarizing echo chambers. Now, as everything from the ethics behind algorithms to the legal shield social networks use to protect themselves from liability is being discussed at the highest levels of government, many are wondering if social media’s problems are simply too great to fix. Against the backdrop of a global crisis, Ryan Holmes, the Founder and Chairman of Hootsuite, takes a sobering look at concerns surrounding the social media industry today and offers an optimistic view of where it's headed. Holmes argues that the hysteria we’re experiencing now is part of a natural lifecycle all game-changing communication technologies go through before finding balance. As North America faces a global pandemic and societal unrest, social media has become more crucial than ever. Holmes’ incisive combination of history and future-think will help industry insiders and average readers alike understand the potential and pitfalls of social media and map out a plan to thrive in the years ahead.