Member Reviews

The Magpie Effect is about the impact of social media on our lives and communities. Damien Massias message clearly states that while social media has its place and can be a powerful and positive tool , it also has an insidious and addicting quality that turns the positives of using social media into a serious detriment. He does this without blaming or shaming and he shows us that the wish for social fulfillment and connection is human and can be exploited by social media in an on-going chase for purpose and meaning.

I liked the message of the book and absolutely think it is accurate. I like the theory behind his work and it helped me make sense if the insanity of social media. The only drawbacks to the book is it's repetition and its bombastic tone. I felt like I was constantly being coached and coached over and over again which made we weary and a bit impatient. Otherwise, a fine read.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.

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This is an enlightening look at social media and how it affects our lives. I appreciate the author's tone, in that she's not trying to shame the reader. This book is all about awareness and education. She looks at the intended purposes of each social media platform versus how they're actually used. It's an eye opening read for anyone who considers technology and social media an important part of their life (which is me!)

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I loved this eye-opening and challenging book regarding social media. I thoroughly enjoyed the statistical approach and the quotes throughout. If there was a little negative to mention, it would be that at times I found the author to be a little repeatitive. Overall, I would recommend this book and found it to be a quick and engaging read.

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Thank you to Troubador Publishing and NetGalley for this ebook.
A full review will appear in Style magazine Toowoomba's February edition.

While I was concerned this book would be a dry and heavy read - even a doomsayer type book - I was pleasantly surprised.
Massias explores the effect social media is having on our lives, the good and the bad, and overall aims to create awareness.
He makes it clear time and time again that by no means is he bashing the reader over the head for how they have misused social media, but actually reiterates that he is as much in this boat as the rest of us, and that "awareness is the first step to any solution".
While I appreciated that the author made it clear he wasn't attacking anyone and that he's been guilty of the same things as the reader, I felt it was repeated a bit too much - once in full and then maybe a second very small reminder would have suffice.
I particularly enjoyed that Massias included the positives of social media and what it was initially designed for, as the vast majority of writings on social media focus only on the negatives.
Overall, The Magpie Effect was an enjoyable, eye-opening read for learning and self-help!

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