10 all-rounder books about Twitter to read in 2021

Acing and understanding the world of Twitter might seem like a task. Here’s a curated list of books that will help you learn everything about this social media platform. 

Over the past few years, Twitter has evolved from being a microblogging site to a place where not only public profiles but everyone in the world has the option to come and express their opinions about a variety of topics. Significant political and human movements have taken place on Twitter, shaping the world as we know it across business, journalism, politics, and more. This evolution has been well-documented in several must-read books.

By restricting the character limit to 280 (earlier 140), the platform has over time pushed people into saying more with fewer words. On their part, they have grown into a virtual space where people can go beyond these words and express using photos, videos, GIFs, and more recently Fleets.

Here's a list of 10 books that will guide you through the Twitter world.

Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton

The book tells an intense, intriguing story behind the founding of Twitter. It gives readers a behind the scene glimpse of the platform's early exponential growth and is also a drama of betrayed friendships and struggles for money and control over a business that was growing faster than expected. 

Twitter: Social communication in the Twitter age by Dhiraj Murthy

In this book, Murthy discusses Twitter’s role in our political, economic, and social lives. The book thoroughly explores Twitter as an evolving global communications platform and offers a theoretical context for students, academics, and tweeters to focus critically on the effect of Twitter and the contemporary media climate.

Twitter and Tear gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest by Zeynep Tufekci

A firsthand account describing the complexities of modern protests — how they form and operate differently from past protests. Tufekci talks from experience, incorporating on-the-ground interviews with insightful research and highlights the greatest strengths and recurrent challenges of social movements driven by the internet. 

Twitter and Society by Katrin Weller, Alex Bruns, Jean Burgess, Merja Mahrt, & Cornelius Puschmann

This book is a documentation of various notions and principles of Twitter communication, offering a detailed and comprehensive overview of current research into the uses of the platform. It also outlines methods for analysing Twitter data and illustrates their practical application in different research contexts.

The Tao of Twitter: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time by Mark Schaefer

Designed for busy enthusiasts and professions, The Tao of Twitter is an attempt to encapsulate strategies, tactics, and time-saver tips on how to create an effective presence on Twitter that will result in meaningful and measurable benefits for businesses.

Also Read: 10 books to read on Instagram’s 10th birthday

Twitter Power 3.0: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time by Joel Comm and Dave Taylor

Twitter Power 3.0 is meant for businesses and entrepreneurs on how to make the most of the platform. It is a business leader's guide to Twitter, with information on social media trends, branding, and competitive research. The book is designed to help readers learn about metrics to accurately measure the success of a Twitter strategy.

The Story of Twitter by Sara Gilbert

The Story of Twitter sums up the platform's journey in a compact way. It takes readers through the origins of the microblogging platform and traces its rise to rake millions in profits. The book offers a realistic tale of an unrealistic phenomenon.

The Twittering Machine by Richard Seymour

The Twittering Machine is a preview of the calamities of modern life: the online trolling world, widespread corporate surveillance, and where we spend a substantial portion of our time. Seymour says that this is a chilling metaphor for our relationship with social media and it is changing the way we speak, write, and think.

The Twitter Book by Tim O’Reilly & Sarah Milstein

This practical guide includes information on third-party applications, strategies, and tactics to use Twitter's 280-character messaging as a serious and effective way to boost businesses as well as learn how to turn Twitter into a personal newspaper for things that matter to you.

Politics and the Twitter Revolution: How Tweets Influence the Relationship between Political Leaders and the Public by John H. Parmelee & Shannon L. Bichard

A comprehensive examination of how Twitter is used for political purposes, this book attempts to answer several questions: Who follows the political leaders on Twitter, and why? How persuasive are political tweets? Is political Twitter good for democracy? It also illustrates how political leaders’ tweets frame their policies and personalities. 

Have you read any of the above books about Twitter or plan to? Do let us know!