Epilogue

Abstract

My reluctance to indulge in futurology means that any reader expecting a prediction of future trends in this final section will be disappointed. I also do not intend to provide a lengthy recapitulation of themes that have been extensively covered in the previous chapters. Nonetheless, I think it would be useful to finish by highlighting the most distinctive ways in which digital media exert influence in the political, economic and social spheres. Given the emphasis throughout on case studies as a means by which the rich variety of digital media use can be explored, the book will end with a discussion of the use of digital media in the dramatic and tragic days which followed the bombing of the 2013 Boston marathon.