Dark Social

An essential guide to how businesses and brands can thrive on digital platforms while also remaining protected from online scams, threats and risks.

Dark Social is an approachable and widely applicable guide to the dangers of social media, and the steps that can be taken by businesses to avoid any negative consequences as a result of social media activity. Despite these risks, social media should not be neglected - it has become a fundamental part of business literacy and is now an essential element of any successful marketing & PR campaign.

From Donald Trump's outrageous tweets to the impact of the GRU (Russia's military intelligence agency) on foreign elections, through to echo chambers and amplification by bots and networks--the negative side of social media is becoming ever more apparent. Now far removed from a comfortable landscape of cat videos and family pictures, social media is now open to exploitation from a range of sources, from disgruntled employees to 'fake news'.

The negative impact of social media upon the workplace can have damaging consequences for businesses. Reputations can be ruined overnight, employees can manipulate social media feeds to their own advantage, and the boundaries between professional and personal social media conduct can become dangerously blurred.

Drawing upon fascinating case studies and organizational psychology, Dark Social is a timely and fascinating insight into the darker side of social media.

About the Author

Ian MacRae is a work psychologist and psychometrician, and he works as a research consultant and speaker across Europe and North America. Ian has a BA (Hons.) in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and an MSc Research Methods in Psychology from University College London. He has written six books about workplace psychology including High Potential: How to Spot, Manage and Develop Talented People at Work, and his books have been translated into ten different languages.