Sharing begins with people
The urge to pass on useful, surprising or emotionally charged information long predates social media. Digital networks give that human impulse unprecedented reach.
TellEveryone
Why We Share and Why It Matters
The indispensable guide to how sharing shapes our world and what it means for our future.
“Insightful.” — The Globe and Mail
Doubleday Canada · 2014
01
The book
Social media became the world's nervous system
Everyone is part of how information moves.
Tell Everyone explains the human urge to share and the systems that give it force. Drawing on history, research and reporting, Alfred Hermida follows information as it moves through protest movements, breaking news, business and everyday life.
The platforms have changed since the book first appeared. The underlying questions have become more urgent. Who gets heard? What gains authority through circulation? How do people make sense of a world in which news finds them?
02
Core ideas
The logic of sharing
The public shapes the news
News no longer arrives through institutions alone. What people notice, circulate and interpret helps determine which events acquire meaning and momentum.
Circulation carries power
Sharing can expose injustice and mobilize communities. It can also amplify rumour. Understanding how information travels is now part of understanding public life.
Why it still matters
Before the algorithm chooses, someone shares.
Today's feeds are more automated, more fragmented and increasingly synthetic. Yet the act at the centre remains recognizably human. We pass information on because it helps us belong, interpret events and act. The book offers a clear framework for seeing what happens next.
03
Response
What readers said
Selected reviews and endorsements of Tell Everyone.
“Insightful.”
— The Globe and Mail
“Smart insights, a lively narrative and impressive research.”
— J-Source
A thoughtful social history that brings the dynamics of social media to life through vivid examples.
— Toronto Star
An accessible explanation of the sharing logic that drives social media.
— Digital Journalism
A balanced account of social media’s possibilities, drawbacks and cultural effects.
— Vancouver Weekly
A useful guide to finding reflection and context amid a fast-changing media landscape.
— David Walmsley, The Globe and Mail
A compelling case for sharing as a fundamental human and organizational force.
— Margaret Heffernan
A serious attempt to understand how social media changed relationships, protest and news.
— Peter Mansbridge
A fast, carefully researched guide to the opportunities and hazards of social media.
— Communications at Syracuse University
Winner of the 2015 National Business Book Award