Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice by Marc Lamont Hill

Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice Reviews

• 
  Traci Thomas

  I liked the way this one took modern technology and mixed it with history. Super smart and succinct book. Only miss for me was that I did audio and know i missed a bunch.
• 
  agata

  Today marks the second anniversary of George Floyd’s death, a death that sparked countless protests against police brutality across the entire world. It wasn’t the first senseless death of a Black man caused by the police and sadly, it wasn’t and won’t be the last.
  
  Floyd’s death is one of the main focuses and the backdrop of Marc Lamont Hill and Todd Brewster’s book, Seen and Unseen. It explores the way the evolution of technology and visual media is changing the way society experiences the fight for racial justice. While Floyd’s murder is the recurring topic, it’s not the only one examined in the book. The authors use the examples of such infamous cases as the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and the Kenosha shootings to explain how the footage changed the narrative or showed white supremacy at work. I loved that the authors also provided historical context and showed the way that violence and racism on the screen isn’t just a strictly modern phenomenon - quite the contrary, it was with us even in the era of silent movies like The Birth of the Nation. It’s a difficult read and there were moments when I had to put it down because of how painful and horrifying the content was, but it’s also an extremely impactful and important book that proves how big of a role social and visual media can play in the fight for social justice.
  
  TLDR:Seen and Unseen is not an easy read, but it’s a necessary one for anyone interested in understanding how media can help dismantle white supremacy.
• 
  Oscreads

  Marc Lamont Hill and Todd Brewster have written an essential book that encapsulates the important role that technology and, consequently, media has had and will continue to have to fight racial justice. This book allows us to see how powerful and influential this tool has been in unearthing the constant lies created by white supremacist. What’s great about this book is all the writers, journalists, photographers, communicators, revolutionaries, and moments that it mentions to prove its points. I strongly believe that with this book Hill and Brewster add themselves to the conversation.
• 
  Susan

  This book made me angry, pretty much constantly. The authors do a brilliant job laying out the history of the use of technology and the use of social media. (Did you know that Frederick Douglass has 168 known portraits? He deliberately used photography to counter the image of Black men as “savages.”) This book spans time, with chapters drawing links between historical events and current ones (e.g. Ida B. Wells and George Floyd, James Baldwin and Kyle Rittenhouse, etc.). The writing has a point to make, but backs them up. This book shows thoroughly that media is and always has had the capacity to be used to in the fight for justice, though the format of the media has changed over time. It’s an outstanding (though infuriating) book. It’s a guidepost for where to go and how to do it well. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended.
• 
  James

  Insightful and educational book, but runs out of steam near the end.
  
  The history of technology/media through a social justice lens made for really good reading, especially for the older history covered in the book - Birth of a Nation, Ida B. Wells, etc. This is some of the important stuff omitted from public school curriculum.
  
  The more modern stuff is markedly less impressive. Too much time is spend on Kyle Rittenhouse and Charlottesville. These may feel important right now, but won't matter much in a decade.
  
  The writing was good for the most part. Generally easy on the reader and quick, but the chapters were so long...omfg.
  
  Overall, maybe a bit niche for the general reader, but should be of greater interest to people who work in tech and media, possibly education.
  
• 
  Melanie

  Hill and Brewster review racism through the mediums of the time: speeches, photographs, reporting, and social media. I found this book a struggle to get through do to the subject matter. Normally I would put this in the KTWU Little Free Library, but this one is going to go to the Equality House Little Free Library.
  
  How did this book find me? I won a copy through a Goodreads giveaway.
• 
  Folasade

  **ARC review***
  Well researched but sometimes hard to follow. The authors go on tangents that don’t seem necessary, and it takes a while to figure out it’s relevance. I also felt like there wasn’t enough focus on social media… they gave examples of how social media was used in specific instances of injustice, but not much analysis beyond that.
• 
  Moriah

  Seen and Unseen is a book about the topics of racial justice and how posting things on the internet or the way we capture the moments will influence our reaction to the subject. I thought the book is an interesting read that highlights the importance of knowing what is going on around the context of a photograph, video, or post before taking it at face value because while body cams and audience videos capture the moment, it can also become skewed towards a biased agenda of whomever is posting the content. I thought the chapter addressing the concept of statue iconography was interesting because it contrasts the idea of having something grounded and with a heavy base in the earth as an important feature of America (wether we agree with the subject of the statue or not) versus a photograph or a virtual video that is so fluid, so prone to deception of some kind that we have to do some research on the context to make sure the facts have all come to light before making harsh and quick judgements. An interesting read!
• 
  Rebekah

  **Goodreads giveaway recipient**
  And I’m so thankful I am!
  
  Thoroughly, intensely researched. From forerunning Ida B. Wells to all kinds of instagrammers and influencers nowadays. But these authors showcase a deep understanding that there is always more to a story (or to a photo)—sometimes even that small nuance can make a huge difference!! Which, especially with social media…or even media(!), is important to remember!
  
  It IS essential to bring forth (in tangible…or at least MORE visible reality) all the nonsense that sadly has—and infuriatingly continues (just how and whyyy???)—plagued peoples of certain skin colors. And as a white woman, I have not always been aware of all the pain—and fear! But with books, articles, photos, video, podcasts like this, my eyes are open, and I’m more watchful for racial injustice—and I’m still learning ways I can help and make myself better toward my fellow humans.
  
  Thank you for this beautiful, critical work.
• 
  Margaret Carmel

  If you've been paying attention to civil rights issues in the past decade or so, a lot of stuff in this book won't be new for you.
  
  But, what makes this essential reading is how it ties so many events we know into a greater tapestry of America's history of racism with how technology is shaping our society. Seen and Unseen digs deep into the long history of how Black Americans have used images to counter racist narratives, and all of the narratives pushed by the white majority to keep racism alive. There's background here on Ida B. Wells and investigating lynchings, Frederick Douglas's use of photographs, Birth of A Nation and, of course, the impact of the video of George Floyd's death.
  
  If you're at all interested in how all the pieces of what we're living now fit together, this is a book for you.
• 
  Cara Paliakas

  if you’re looking for a book that delves into the influence social media, and media in general, has on social justice movements, than look no further.
  
  while reading this book, i couldn’t help but compare the ideas hill and brewster pose to those of jordan peele in his latest movie, Nope. many times throughout the book, the authors refer to tragedies, like the murder of george floyd or jacob blake for example, as “spectacles”. the connections are there, and they shine an illuminating light on the way we interact with incidents of injustice, just as peele does in his film.
  
  this book is excellent and raises new and pertinent questions now that we exist in a culture of “cyberspace” and what that means for us going forward.
• 
  Katie Barron

  A contextualization of how media, specifically picture/image media, is one of the most democratizing tools we’ve ever had at our disposal. No longer only do the chosen few get to pick and choose who and what our collective focus follows. This has done wonders to amplify the voices of those who traditionally rarely received a platform or a say in how our country progresses… however, like with all new technologies, it’s in danger of being corrupted and used for nefarious purposes. Technology, and specifically the World Wide Web, is something we all have to come to terms with one day. And this is a fantastic overview of what that looks like in terms of social justice.
• 
  Diana

  4.5 stars. This is seriously excellent book that gives both historical and present day information regarding America’s blatant racism, and the history of its documentation.
  
  To be honest I was expecting a lot more about the 2020 protests, & what occurred in 2020 on social media *during* the protests… especially because that’s how the book is marketed…but less than 10% of the book talked about it. Disappointing. I was hoping for an analysis of that! But what I got instead was still very educational.
• 
  Ann

  Seen and Unseen, by Marc Lamont Hill and Todd Brewster was an interesting and enjoyable read for me. I highly recommend this book.
  
  This book explores some recent racial moments in America’s history, such as the George Floyd’s killing that was caught on camera by a teenage. When social injustice is witnessed, ordinary people now have the ability to make an impact with the help of modern technology such as smartphones, social media, and the internet.
  
• 
  LaShanda Chamberlain

  This book is well-written. Hill & Brewster provided an excellent overview of how social media is rapidly shaping our world & our responses to these events. Providing a historical overview while covering many of the present-day challenges was very necessary. Social media is so new & I don't think the good and bad of it has truly been covered yet. Like it or not, social media is here to stay. We must find a way to make the most of it while remaining cautious of the pitfalls of it.
• 
  Rachel

  Very thought-provoking in how it asks probing questions of issues we think we have settled.
  
  I particularly enjoyed two sections: James Baldwin's writings and rethinking and exploring the purpose of monuments.
  
  As a bonus, if you listen to the audiobook version, it's read by the authors. Todd Brewster sounds like Anthony Bourdain (whom I could listen to all day) with more gravel. A bizarre comfort, but one nonetheless while soaking in this material.
• 
  Eve

  This book discusses hate crimes, hate speech, genocide etc. I had to take long breaks to cope.
  
  I liked this book because I tend to have little patience for cinema appreciation but this book connected different mediums & how they're used as well as talking about ethical concerns. The book is quick too. I'm able to listen at triple speed so I was able to listen to 40% of this book at a time.
  
  There was also some gist about margin to center i think with regards to controlling cameras.
• 
  Morgan

  Seen and Unseen is a timely book about the power shift over visual media has shifted in recent history. I enjoyed how the authors balanced the book with current events with past events without getting too bogged down in either one.
• 
  Deandra

  I didn’t think I could learn much more about an era that I have lived through and been a part of in terms of fighting for social justice. The way this tied history into the present was brilliant but also heartbreaking, because it’s the same fight.
• 
  Christina

  The great shame of our country is our inability to see the systemic racism at the very core of every inch of our society. This book shines light on our current situation and connects it to the entirety of our past.
• 
  Nikki

  Just got this book excited to read it! Will update review after reading!
• 
  Leisa Mitchell

  I highly recommend this book. It is well written and really puts things into perspective.
• 
  Robyn

  Notables 2022 #41
• 
  Katy Manley

  Powerful but sometimes hard to follow because the authors jump around quite a bit.
• 
  Hannah

  This is such an important, impactful and timely book. While the topics discussed are difficult, I found the writing to be clear and concise and easy to ready which made digesting the material much easier! I also appreciated all of the examples given to show how important technology is in this moment of history and the fight for racial justice. I cant post my highlights because this was an advanced copy but I know i'll be referring back to my notes and highlights for a long time!
• 
  Hannah Steinhauer

  essential reading to understand the relationship between technology and race in America !!