I could not deal with rejection after my failed professional baseball career. I began to feel like there was no hope for me in life, and I developed a "don't care" attitude. But I thank God for a praying mother, who stood on Joshua 24:15; "Choose ye this day whom you shall serve, but as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." I thank God for a praying grandmother and other family members too Like a light bulb turning on one day, I was reading a book by T.D. Jakes and it became clear. The book read, "He or she whose hope is in God is not hopeless." So I cried out to God for myself and...

This is the first book to connect digital media technologies in digital sociology to traditional sociological and offers a much needed overview of it. It includes problems of the digital age in relation to inequality and identity, making it suitable for use for a global audience on a variety of courses.

At a time when policy discussions are dominated by "I feel" instead of "I know," it is more important than ever for social scientists to make themselves heard. When those who possess in-depth training and expertise are excluded from public debates about pressing social issues--such as climate change, the prison system, or healthcare--vested interests can sway public opinion in uninformed ways. Yet few graduate students, researchers, or faculty know how to do this kind of work--or feel empowered to do it.

While there has been an increasing call for social scientists to engage more broadly...