Abstract
If you ever taught a social media course, you have probably run into the challenge of finding a textbook that meets the trifecta of students needs: (a) comprehensive information, (b) current examples, and (c) meaningful exercises. Karen Freberg, an associate professor at the University of Louisville, has achieved all three in Social Media for Strategic Communication. Freberg’s book is packed with information that will be an asset in any social media course.
Social Media for Strategic Communication features 13 chapters broken into three sections covering social media foundations, social media strategy, and a discussion of the applications and future in social media. Chapters in the social media foundations section cover a variety of topics including the evolution of social media, ethical and legal issues, and social media research. In addition to foundational concepts, Freberg includes two unique chapters about industry roles and personal branding that will be especially usual for students who wish to pursue a career in social media because “presenting yourself in a consistent manner allows you to have more control of not only how others perceive you, but also how you want to be viewed as a professional, person, and brand” (p. 55).
The section about social media strategy is comprised of chapters covering common skills students will need as industry professionals including strategic planning, writing, audience analysis, content creation and management, and evaluation methods. Each chapter is filled with practical insights from industry professionals, as well as tangible and current examples of social media content that aligns with key concepts such as demonstrating different writing styles through social media posts crafted by Sephora, Wendy’s, Under Armor, and more (pp. 148-153). Thought exercises at the end of each chapter challenge students to go beyond answering questions that simply require recall of information. Instead, she asks students to assume the role of the social media practitioner to critically think about solutions to specific case-based simulations.
The final section of the textbook is comprised of two distinct content areas: (a) how social media is applied in specialized communication areas and (b) the future trends and directions of social media in the context of strategic communication. The first content area is broken into two chapters and covers unique aspects of organizational communication including crisis communication and social care (an element of customer relationship management). Freberg also applies social media communication the context of specific communication fields such as nonprofits, health care, sports, entertainment, and journalism. The final chapter explores emerging issues and technology that will continue to shape communication practices by close examination of the past and present: “We can always make assumptions about where people will go next, but to make official judgments on this, we have to look at the data and determine where exactly people are” (p. 276).
Freberg’s conversational writing style makes this book accessible to the social media novice or advanced student. Key definitions and concepts are clearly defined and put into contexts students can easily understand. The interviews she conducted with industry professionals and recent graduates are a highlight and demonstrate how the concepts learned in this book extend well beyond the classroom.
Freberg’s supplementary assignment guide Portfolio Building Activities in Social Media provides an excellent foundation for instructors to design assignments that align with the key learning objectives of the textbook and to have practical application in the workplace, but has a drawback in the format. The print format of this supplement does not seem to be the best way to deliver the material. A digital format that allows the downloading and editing of Freberg’s recommended assignments will provide better integration into a class design for both instructors and students. From a teaching perspective, a digital format with downloadable assignments will allow instructors to tailor assignments to the unique needs of their class. From the student perspective, the fillable charts and tables in the print format do not provide much room for handwritten answers. In addition, the print format could cause unnecessary delays if students submit the whole workbook for grading because they are unable to work on another assignment until the workbook is returned by the instructor. An editable, digital format for the workbook will allow students to download individual assignments to complete, submit for grades, and move on to the next assignment in a timely manner.
Overall, Social Media for Strategic Communication is a solid textbook addition for any course which focuses on social media communication.
