Pushing the social media buttons

Abstract

The tech savvy readers of this article will know that it is a deep challenge to find a website that is not peppered with little icons encouraging you to share, like, comment, dig, tweet, and so on. Though each just a few pixels square, they represent some of the most potent tools for influencing our online lives today. They affect search engine rankings, your impression of friends and strangers alike, they shape of online communities, and how web users generate and consume all forms of data. Also, of course, there are more sober issues related to political activism, human rights, and other social concerns that lean heavily on the success of these aesthetically sparse little buttons.