Regulating Social Media ― Legal and Ethical Considerations

The 12 chapters presented here by Drucker (journalism/media studies, Hofstra U.) and Gumpert (communication, City U. of New York) explore a range of key legal, ethical, and political issues that have developed around the use of social media. Topics include questions of protection from government regulation and potential liability for service providers within the context of emerging defamation law, recent case law and legislative action addressing cyberharassment and cyberbullying, issues of brain development and the legal response to teenage sexting, the legal questions surrounding WikiLeaks' publication of the "Iraq War Diaries," the meaning of the right to privacy in the age of the social, the positive and negative aspects of transparency in the context of social media, the regulation of sexually explicit content, ethical considerations of public relations strategies in the social media environment, and ethical issues raised by journalistic uses of social media. In the concluding chapter, the editors survey the possible ethical and legal issues likely to arise in the future. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Susan J. Drucker (JD, St. John’s University School of Law) is a professor in the Department of Journalism/Media Studies at the School of Communication, Hofstra University. She is an attorney, and editor of the Communication Law series for Peter Lang. She is the author and coeditor of nine books including The Urban Communication Reader I and II, Voices in the Street: Gender, Media and Public Space, Regulating Convergence (2010) and two editions of Real Law @ Virtual Space: The Regulation of Cyberspace (1999, 2005) with Gary Gumpert. Her work examines the relationship between media technology and human factors, particularly as viewed from a legal perspective. Along with Gary Gumpert, she has received the Franklyn S. Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression.
Gary Gumpert (PhD, Wayne State University) is Emeritus Professor of Communication at Queens College of the City University of New York and president of the Urban Communication Foundation. Professor Gumpert’s publications include Talking Tombstones and Other Tales of the Media Age and three edited volumes of Inter/Media: Interpersonal Communication in a Media Age. He is series editor of the Urban Communication series for Peter Lang. His primary research focuses on the nexus of communication technology and social relationships, particularly looking at urban and suburban development, the alteration of public space, and the changing nature of community. His work has been recognized with the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity.