“Social Media. n. web sites and applications which enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking” (OED Online—www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zdop&inst=uga1). Or, “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)” (Merriam-Webster Online—www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media).

There are probably as many definitions of social media as there are opportunities to pen them. But one feature carries across the definitions: some form of online communication which creates a sense of community. Harvey’s Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics does a good job of bringing together the myriad forms of social media with the wider world of politics. Her edited three-volume encyclopedia covers a plethora of topics from the AARP to Mark Zuckerberg. In addition to the expected introductory essay, there is a fairly detailed chronology beginning with 1945, which quotes an article by Vannevar Bush calling “for the creation of some sort of collective memory, which he called the memex, . . . [for] storing or organizing information. . . . This article is often cited as the first to suggest the properties later realized through hypertext” (xxxix). The signed articles are usually multi-page entries, and each includes cross-references and suggestions for further reading. As one would expect in an encyclopedia on this topic, many of the suggested readings contain URLs to websites and blogs. The glossary provides additional information on terms that may not be familiar to everyone, including entries on friending, tweeps, and Wonkette. A resource guide, which does not include all the entries from the suggested readings, directs users to a select bibliography of books, journal titles (not to actual articles, however), and websites. A unique appendix provides a chart of Representatives and Senators, listing the member’s age and other relevant demographics, party affiliation, and whether or not he or she has a Facebook page, Twitter account, RSS feed, or a YouTube presence. The number of “likes,” followers, and the activity level in each area of social media complete the chart. Readers are invited to draw their own conclusions about this activity or lack thereof.

Significant historical events, such as the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, and the rise of the Tea Party Movement, are covered as well as lesser known topics. A “Reader’s Guide” divides the articles into general topics, making it easier to hone in on a given area.

Books on this topic abound. Among some recent publications are David Taras and Christopher Waddell’s How Canadians Communicate IV (AU Press, 2012), Jason Gainous and Kevin Wagner’s Tweeting to Power: The Social Media Revolution in American Politics (Oxford University Press, 2014), Transforming American Governance: Rebooting the Public Square, edited by Alan Balutis, Terry F. Buss, and Dwight Ink (M.E. Sharpe, 2011), and Party On! Political Parties from Hamilton and Jefferson to Today’s Networked Age by John K. White and Matthew R. Kerbel (Paradigm Publishers, 2012). These titles are either entirely about social media and politics or have sections devoted to the topic. However, these publications are more suited to the general collection. A publication from 2013 which sits nicely on the reference shelf along with Harvey’s encyclopedia is the three-volume set, The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social & Political Movements, edited by Snow, Della Porta, Klandermans, and McAdam (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). The Wiley-Blackwell title is more historical in scope, covering the American Revolution, other decolonization movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well labor movements and strikes. Social media is woven into the narratives and is also a section unto itself. Libraries would do well to purchase both of these complementary titles. Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics is recommended for undergraduate, graduate, and public library collections.