I received Citizens Rising as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

Citizens Rising is a sweeping portrait of the myriad ways in which media--particularly new media--is playing an ever-larger role (both positive and negative) in political and social revolutions in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As social media and cell phone usage spreads, dictatorial regimes with have an increasingly difficult time maintaining control over citizens who have the ability to share brutality and injustice in real time. It may mean the marginalization of traditional journalism, but also has fascinating implications for popular political, economic, and social movements in developing countries.

I enjoyed Citizens Rising. On the "popular/scholarly" spectrum, I think it falls somewhere towards the former--the book and its component sections are relatively short. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just to give readers a sense of what they'll be getting into. I personally enjoyed the briefer glimpses at a wider range of countries, from Kenya to Georgia to Afghanistan to China, and how citizens in each country are uniquely utilizing media to fit their personal circumstances and situations. Anyone with an interest in popular movements and in new frontiers of journalism would find this a great read.

Recommended. ( )