"This study used Twitter advertisements to solicit survey participation from the most-influential members of pro-Ukraine and pro-Russia communities of Twitter users identified in an analysis of 25 million Russian language tweets emanating from Eastern Europe. Survey results suggest that pro-Ukraine
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activists are eager to counter Russian influence. Large percentages of respondents reported using Twitter to help counter Russian influence, and they take this activism to other social media accounts and offline channels, including talking to family members or friends and.to a lesser extent.participating in advocacy groups. At least half of the sample reported being open to receiving additional social media training, and most did not seem opposed to taking this support from the European Union, United States, or Ukraine. However, a hypothetical agreement to receive funding or participate in training does not mean that participants actually would do so. Following a brand ambassador model would help connect influential users with training and content. This model would involve reaching out, building an initial relationship, and establishing trust with these activists. It might be possible to help such users join together to advocate for a unified and democratic Ukraine, increase awareness of particular Russian influence campaigns, disseminate memes or video content addressing media literacy, or identify Russian bots and trolls." (Key findings)
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"Civil society technology, or civic tech, is one of the novel notions introduced by the digital age – a new form of social interaction and implementation of fundamental human rights. The dominating discourse that civic tech is about optimising and digitising public services is challenged by the ex
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amples of autocracies, like Belarus, where the rise of civic tech initiatives pre-, mid-, and post- the 2020 presidential election present examples of digital resistance to repressive state policies. In this paper, we seek to analyse the notion of civic tech in Belarus, identify its distinctive features, the role it plays as a tool of digital resistance, and the impact it has on human rights." (Page 1)
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"[...] This edition of the MFWA’s Media and Governance Series, explores the shrinking civic space in West Africa; the growing issues contributing to the shrinking civic space as well as its impact on the media landscape and citizens. It also suggests key actions required of stakeholders such as go
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vernments, civil society organisations, the media and ECOWAS to stem or reverse the downward trend for a stronger democracy in West Africa." (Introduction, page 4)
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"There is a growing public and academic debate on the societal impacts of the internet and, in particular, social media. For its proponents, social media is a force for change, which can challenge entrenched hierarchies, redistribute power, democratize information, support mass mobilization and cont
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ribute to the building of global movements. Increasingly such positivist arguments are being questioned. Critics argue that it has become a sinister force, facilitating the spread of ‘fake news’, providing an instrument for citizen surveillance and re-enforcing neoliberal hegemony. The community development literature has barely engaged in those debates around social media that appear urgent in other disciplines. Social media has been seen as a value-free tool for broadcasting and dissemination, and neither evaluated as a force for change nor examined as an instrument of neoliberal intents. Although there is a community development literature on neoliberalism and globalization, it often accepts these, rather than critiques them, as the contexts within which community development operates. Challenging established power imbalances and enhancing citizen participation in democratic processes are purposes central to community development values. Analysis of wider literature raises questions with regard to the values embedded in the technologies from which enhanced levels of participation and engagement are expected to flow. It also raises questions about who benefits most from the affordances of these technologies. This article, drawing on an extensive literature review, presents the case for community development values to be asserted in these debates." (Abstract)
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"With the diffusion of the internet, media and communication research witnessed the emergence of a new term, ‘engagement’. Although, the term is widely used it is poorly defined and in need of explication. Through semantic network analysis, the analysis shows how traditions, as varied as audienc
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e research, political science, science communication, marketing studies and media psychology, have put the concept to use for very different purposes. Clusters in the network map demonstrate clear demarcations between traditions and perspectives on the ontology of engagement. Following from this mapping, the article evaluates the different perspectives and outlines key issues that scholars need to deal with to advance engagement as an analytical concept in media and communications research. In the end, the article argues that engagement should foreground the reflexive capacities of individuals rather than instrumental interactions or societal participation. In this way, the concept can retain its specificity and richness rather than turn into a colloquial term with vague and indistinct connotations." (Abstract
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"Als Selfie oder im politischen Prozess, als gleichermaßen fluide wie langlebige Postings, in verstörenden Hassbildern oder als Labor des Feminismus wirken digitale Bilder in je eigenen Kontexten: Menschen inszenieren sich und werden inszeniert, vernetzen und bekämpfen sich, posieren und protesti
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eren, verfremden, ringen um Anerkennung, Deutungshoheiten und Aneignungen. Digitale Bilder brechen Normen auf, spiegeln oder verschleiern Realitäten, sind Propaganda oder Vehikel politischer Veränderungen, spalten Gegner, verbinden Gleichgesinnte oder fungieren als Glutnester von Hass und Menschenfeindlichkeit. Zugleich wirken all diese Formen visualisierter sozialer Handlungen als Katalysatoren gesellschaftlicher Prozesse, die ihrerseits wieder Dynamiken anstoßen. Die Autorinnen und Autoren beleuchten in fünf Beiträgen Formen, Absichten und Wirkungen digitaler Bildkulturen: den Bildprotest, den Screenshot, das Hassbild, den Netzfeminismus und das Selfie." (Buchrücken)
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"This book explores the struggles over the mediated construction and projection of the image of the nation at times of social unrest. Focusing on the June 2013 protests in Brazil, it examines how different actors -authorities, activists, the national media, foreign correspondents- disseminated compe
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ting versions of 'what Brazil was' during that pivotal episode. The book offers a fresh conceptual approach, supported by media coverage analysis and original interviews, that demonstrates the potential of digital media to challenge power structures and establish new ways of representing the nation. It also highlights the vulnerability of both 'old' and 'new' media to forms of inequality and disruption due to political interferences, technological constraints, and continuing commercial pressures." (Publisher description)
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"In 10 Kapiteln werden traditionelle und neue Erscheinungsformen der Zivilgesellschaft einander gegenübergestellt. Als Folien dienen ein analytisches Bereichskonzept von Zivilgesellschaft, die Hirschmansche Einteilung in ‚loyal, exit, voice‘ und die im Maecenata Institut entwickelte Funktionsdi
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fferenzierung. In Anlehnung an das Habermassche Konzept der deliberativen Demokratie wird die politische Dimension von Zivilgesellschaft herausgestellt. Vermittelt werden sollen Grundlagen, Strömungen, Diskurse und Verknüpfungsansätze, die das soziale Phänomen beschreiben, einordnen und theoretisch begründen. Dazu werden die maßgeblichen Autoren mit ihren Kernaussagen vorgestellt und die Diskurse und Forschungslinien beleuchtet, die die Theoriebildung und Praxisentwicklung zur Zivilgesellschaft bestimmt haben. Die Vielseitigkeit der Herangehensweise und die damit verbundene interdisziplinäre Anknüpfbarkeit bieten Chancen für vielseitige Erkenntnisgewinne." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Since the Arab uprisings of 2011, Palestinian youth movements have formed unofficial and leaderless networks of political activism, using the internet to mobilise and bring together three generations of Palestinian activists. This book focuses on three key case studies that have marked a turning po
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int in the development of youth-organised and grassroots Palestinian politics: the 15 March movement in Gaza, the Palestinians for Dignity movement in the West Bank, and the Prawer movement of young Palestinians in Israel. Drawing on extensive fieldwork composed of interviews with leading Palestinian activists in the West Bank and Gaza and detailed analysis of social media patterns, this book offers a fresh reading of Palestinian youth and their central online and offline role in popular protests against both Israeli and Palestinian power structures." (Publisher description)
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"Esta publicación sobre diálogo de saberes en colectivos recoge el espíritu del diálogo de saberes para reflexionar sobre temas recientes en los procesos de agrupación juvenil y sus formas de apropiación de medios y territorios, pues resulta pertinente pensar la ciudad y a través de las diná
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micas de reconfiguración territorial, social y cultural que realizan los colectivos de comunicación." (Descripción de la casa editorial)
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"The report documents the threats to civil society in the digital age by examining the legislative and regulatory framework in four countries in Africa: Egypt, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. These countries were selected from the four main geographic regions of Africa, in order to provide a sense
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of the state of civic engagement in the digital age across the continent. The case studies are clearly not representative of what is happening on the continent, but are illustrative of some prominent trends. The recommendations emanating from the research call for the states to revise and repeal identified restrictive laws and align them with international standards. Civil society organisations and human rights activists are also encouraged to enhance their individual and organizational digital knowledge and expertise to more robust counter disruptive state measures. This expertise should be enhanced through a human rights lens and should extend to other stakeholders including judicial officers, legislators, law enforcement and the general public through sustained multi-stakeholder engagement." (Executive summary, pages 7-8)
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"This book explores the potential of the Internet for enabling new and flexible political participation modes. It meticulously illustrates how the Internet is responsible for citizens' participation practices from being general, high-threshold, temporally constricted, and dependent on physical prese
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nce to being topic-centered, low-threshold, temporally discontinuous, and independent from physical presence. With its ethnographic focus on Icelandic and German online participation tools Betri Reykjavík and LiquidFriesland, the book offers plentiful advice for citizens, programmers, politicians, and administrations alike on how to get the most out of online participation formats." (Publisher description)
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"Als Tagungsreader der ersten Runder Tisch Brasilien Online Fachtagung analysiert das vorliegende Heft die Kommunikationslandschaft Brasiliens neu. Wer bestimmt gesellschaftliche Diskurse? Auf welcher Basis? In der virtuellen politischen Arena 2020 geht es längst nicht mehr allein um politische Bot
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schaften, sondern auch darum, eine möglichst große Zielgruppe (z.B. potenzielle Wähler*innen) zu erreichen. Längst ist ein Kampf um Werte und Wahrheiten entbrannt, auf den soziale Bewegungen nicht immer gut vorbereitet waren. Es geht daher um politische Verortung und Widerstand im digitalen Zeitalter. Denn die aktuelle Regierung hält ihre Macht mit kriminellen Strategien. Bolsonaros Regierung betreibt offiziell Desinformationspolitik, mit Polemik und Stimmungsmache gegen politische Gegner*innen. Kommunikation wird als Machtinstrument benutzt und entbehrt häufig jeglicher sachlichen Grundlage. Eine semioffizielle Gruppe, geleitet von Präsident Bolsonaros Söhnen, ist dafür zuständig, Fake News u.ber Whatsapp und andere soziale Medien zu verbreiten. Ein Skandal und eine Herausforderung für Menschenrechte und Demokratie. Während Bolsonaro sich selbst nicht an Abstandsregeln während der Pandemie hält und seine Anhänger*innen explizit dazu aufruft, sich auf der Straße zu versammeln, sehen seine Gegner*innen größtenteils davon ab und versuchen, ihre Proteste in die virtuelle Welt zu verlegen. Auch dort stoßen sie auf in Kommunikationsfragen gut geschulte rechte Gruppierungen. Die Gruppe der Evangelikalen beispielsweise nutzt ihre Wirtschaftsunternehmen und Kommunikationsplattformen geschickt für eine moralbasierte Politikgestaltung 'im Namen Gottes'." (Editorial)
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"There are many valuable resources on how to conduct advocacy that provide a detailed, step-by-step approach. These approaches include best practices for identifying stakeholders, developing a message, or planning a timeline. We will not go deeply into these topics, but we do want to provide an intr
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oductory framework to help CSOs think about how to develop an advocacy action plan [...] In Part 1, we present the framework for advocacy planning. In Part 2, the guide provides a tactics toolbox that can be used in restrictive contexts where civil society is under threat. In Part 3, we provide additional resources to assist with your planning. The primary focus of this toolkit is found in Part 2 with detailed case studies illustrating 10 key tactics that can be used in a range of contexts." (Using this guide, page 5)
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"This policy brief examines the work of civil society activists struggling for peace by using social media around the world. Drawing from extensive field research, as well as the social media actions of activists and civil society members of India, Pakistan and beyond, this brief explains how the so
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cial media strategies of civil society activists can ease the risk of war and violence and improve the prospect for long-term peaceful relations between both countries. The South Asia region, including Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, has been known for intractable regional conflict. The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir led to four wars (1948, 1965, 1971, and 1999) between these countries. Although peace efforts on the part of civil society activists have existed for many years, civil society’s use of social media for peace between both the countries is a new trend. This policy brief endeavours to add new insights on civil society’s use of social media to support peace. The brief also looks at how the civil society members deploy innovative strategies of communication—mixing social media and other methods—to plan, coordinate and practice actions, such as protests, talks, and marches. This policy brief attempts to enhance existing dimensions to the ques-tion of how to respond to the rising conflicts between nuclear countries India and Pakistan – an issue that can no longer remain unnoticed by members of civil society and the interna-tional community." (Summary)
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