Twitter and Tear Gas

About This Audiobook

Zeynep Tufekci doesn’t just explain why modern protests succeed or fail—she dissects the hidden mechanics of digital dissent, where hashtags outrank megaphones and a single viral image can topple regimes faster than a decade of door-to-door organizing. This isn’t another breathless take on ‘the power of social media.’ It’s a forensic study of how platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp rewired collective action, turning strangers into insurgents overnight while exposing the fragility of movements built on algorithms and outrage. Tufekci’s sharp, story-driven analysis spans everything from the Arab Spring to Black Lives Matter, showing how the same tools that empower the voiceless can also trap them in echo chambers of performative activism. Whether you’re a journalist, an activist, or just someone scrolling through endless feeds, this book will make you rethink what it means to be ‘connected’ when the connection itself is the battlefield. Narrator Carly Robins delivers the dense, idea-rich text with the precision of a scholar and the rhythm of a podcaster, balancing technical terms with conversational clarity. Her performance avoids the monotony of a textbook while never dumbing down Tufekci’s nuanced arguments—her delivery of case studies like Gezi Park and Occupy feels urgent but never rushed, and her vocal tone subtly shifts to match the emotional weight of real-world consequences. The production enhances the listening experience, with subtle sound design that punctuates key moments without distracting from the prose.