Friend Me: 600 Years of Social Networking in America by Francesca Davis DiPiazza -ADVISABLE

DiPiazza, Francesca Davis Friend Me: 600 Years of Social Networking in America 112 pgs. Lerner Publishing Group, 2012. $29.93.  (Rating: PG)

This book sets out to prove that Social Networking has been with us in America before we were even a country. It offers numerous examples such as from Native American history, Puritan Society, and Slavery. The book addresses how social networking benefited those groups, in the same ways it does today. It also delves into how technology and social networking eventually intertwined –such as through telegraphs.  Today’s social networking language was used throughout to describe historical social networks, successfully illustrating the true nature of social networks.

I love the descriptions of the shorthand used on the telegraphs –I never realized how close it is to the shorthand used in text messaging today! I think students will love this engaging look at history, and find out that social networking today, while faster, has always been an effective tool of communication and connection.

MS, HS– ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate & Author.