"Authoritarianism is in the ascendancy across the globe, with digital technologies being used by both governments and non-state actors to repress rights and freedoms. Competing terms have emerged to conceptualize such use of digital technologies, including the term digital authoritarianism and a ran
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ge of related terms including ‘networked authoritarianism’, ‘digital repression’, and ‘technoauthoritarianism’ which are used across different disciplines. Much of the existing literature uses these terms without clear definition, often referring to a diverse range of actions and measures. This lack of clarity undermines the basis for comparative research to advance knowledge and to determine how best to mitigate or overcome the negative effects of digital authoritarianism on democracy and development. This paper presents the first systematic literature review of digital authoritarianism and related terms. It contributes to generating conceptual clarity on digital authoritarianism and on its component elements, identifies gaps in the existing scholarship, and proposes a future research agenda." (Abstract)
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"Visibility and its counterpart, invisibility, are critical concepts in digital communication, although research on these concepts in communication studies has rarely been reflected on in an integrative way. This article aims to map key discussions in current research on in/visibility from a communi
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cation studies perspective. Therefore, through a literature review, we elaborate on these discussions in research areas dealing extensively with in/visibility. The resulting mapping highlights similarities and differences between definitions of in/visibility and systematizes the various approaches according to three essential understandings (perceptibility, presence, and valuation) and three paradigmatic perspectives (functionalist, interpretive, and critical). The article offers a deeper understanding of the range of previous studies on the undertheorized concepts of in/visibility and demonstrates the concepts’ potential for future research within communication studies." (Abstract)
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"This report examines the widespread use of encrypted messaging apps (EMAs) in developing countries and emerging democracies has prompted news outlets in these regions to experiment with them as mechanisms for distributing the news. From news products designed specifically for sharing via EMAs to pr
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ivate channels used to circumvent restrictions in repressive media environments, media outlets are testing how best to use these apps to reach audiences even in the face of technical challenges, resource demands, and sometimes, political pressure. The document concludes that a) news outlets are turning to EMAs to reach new audiences and to bypass state censorship in authoritarian contexts; b) many newsrooms are experimenting with monetizing EMA content, however, it is still too early to tell whether EMAs can provide a reliable revenue stream; c) platform dependency is a big issue when it comes to using EMAs for news-policy changes can have a big impact on how news outlets interact with their audiences." (Publisher description)
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"El panorama de los medios de comunicación han cambiado: de las grandes empresas editoras de periódicos, generalmente propiedad de grupos familiares, a los medios nativos digitales financiados por los propios periodistas o por ONGs gracias a los aportes ciudadanos o iniciativas de recaudación de
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fondos y suscripciones. Este texto dibuja un panorama general de lo que significan los medios digitales y revisa las experiencias de algunos medios de Ecuador, Colombia, Perú y Argentina. En el caso ecuatoriano, se analiza la cobertura de un hecho particular -las movilizaciones de octubre 2019- por parte de tres medios: Wambra EC, La Periódica y el Centro de Medios Virtuales de la Carrera de Comunicación de la Universidad politécnica Salesiana." (Descripción de la casa editorial)
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"La aparición de las redes sociodigitales a mediados de la primera década de 2000 fue recibida con entusiasmo y recelo por diversos sectores sociales. Los ciudadanos vieron en espacios como Facebook, Twitter y, más recientemente, Instagram, una consolidación de la autocomunicación de masas plan
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teada por Manuel Castells en 1997 que acercaba el poder de la información y la comunicación a las personas del común, mientras los políticos dudaban entre si era un riesgo o una oportunidad en la disputa del poder en la opinión pública. Lo ocurrido en los casi veinte años de vida de las redes sociodigitales ha mostrado su poder de movilización social (Occupy Wall Street, Primavera Árabe, #MeToo) y su impacto político, pero también ha expuesto varios riesgos derivados del uso social y de los algoritmos que controlan la red, entre ellos las cámaras de eco, la espiral de silencio, el contenido engañoso (misinformation), el contenido falso (desinformación), el exceso de información (infodemia) y la presencia de bots que replican información para convertirla en tendencia u ocultar contenidos." (Publisher description)
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"Joan Kristin Bleicher beleuchtet umfassend zentrale Aspekte der Medialität des Internets. Im Fokus stehen dabei nicht nur Rahmenbedingungen und die historische Entwicklung. Es werden auch Angebotsschwerpunkte, theoretische Fragen, Ästhetik, Nutzungs- und Wirkungspotenziale des Internets sowie Reg
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ulierungstendenzen thematisiert. Das Buch hat einführenden Charakter und richtet sich an Studierende der Medien-, Kultur- und Kommunikationswissenschaft. Es eignet sich auch für Interessierte anderer Fachrichtungen, die sich über dieses Schlüsselmedium unserer Zeit informieren möchten." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This book explores the nature of technology—participatory media in particular—and its effects on our friendships and our fundamental sense of togetherness. Situating the notion of friendship in the modern era, the author examines the possibilities and challenges of technology on our friendships
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. Taking a media ecology approach to interpersonal communication, she looks at issues around phenomenology, recognition of friends as unique, hermeneutics in a digital world and mediated communication, social dimensions of time and space, and communication ethics. Examining friendship as a communicative phenomenon and exploring the ways in which it is created, sustained, managed, produced, and reproduced, this book will be relevant to scholars and students of interpersonal communication, mediated communication, communication theory and philosophy, and media ecology." (Publisher description)
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"This book advances alternative approaches to understanding media, culture and technology in two vibrant regions of the Global South. Bringing together scholars from Africa and the Caribbean, it traverses the domains of communication theory, digital technology strategy, media practice reforms, and c
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orporate and cultural renewal. The first section tackles research and technology with new conceptual thinking from the South. The book then looks at emerging approaches to community digital networks, online diaspora entertainment, and video gaming strategies. The volume then explores reforms in policy and professional practice, including in broadcast television, online newspapers, media philanthropy, and business news reporting. Its final section examines the role of village-based folk media, the power of popular music in political opposition, and new approaches to overcoming neo-colonial propaganda and external corporate hegemony." (Publisher description)
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"This study mapped 11 innovative and public interest media initiatives in Bangladesh seeking to reach diverse audience groups and communities with news and information in a changing media landscape. Each of these media initiatives has its unique strengths and weaknesses but managed to thrive to cont
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inue to provide information to the community they serve. However, the online media space is chaotic, and media innovation in Bangladesh is still in a very immature stage. Independent journalists’ inability to try out new ideas and risk investments to startup a public interest media is often ascribed to the restrictive licensing system and repressive laws. The uncertainty that government may not allow them media registration and can block the site anytime — as it happened with a few initiatives — remains one of the biggest constraints for innovation. Therefore, there are more innovations and investments in media that offer information contents around important social and economic – and potentially less-sensitive subjects like health, agriculture, migration, and education. These initiatives (for example, Shohay, Krishi Bioscope) manage to grow hundreds of thousands of followers on different platforms, engage audiences not only as consumers but also as a part of the content development process, and contribute to social and human development. Most of these initiatives are youth-led and seem to find ways to generate revenue by adopting innovative strategies." (Summary, page 2-3)
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"The book begins by interrogating globalization as a critical and intensely contested concept, and proceeds to explore how digital media have influenced a complex set of globalization processes in broad international and comparative contexts. Contributors address a number of key political, economic,
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cultural, and technological issues relative to globalization, such as free trade agreements, cultural imperialism, heterogeneity, the increasing dominance of American digital media in global cultural markets, the powers of the nation-state, and global corporate media ownership. By extension, readers are introduced to core theoretical concepts and practical ideas, which they can apply to a broad range of contemporary media policies, practices, movements, and technologies in different geographic regions of the world-North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. (Publisher description)
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"Deriving from innovative new work by six researchers, this book questions what the new media's role is in contemporary Africa. The chapters are diverse - covering different areas of sociality in different countries - but they unite in their methodological and analytical foundation. The focus is on
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media-related practices, which require engagement with different perspectives and concerns while situating these in a wider analytical context. The contributions to this collection provide fresh ethnographic descriptions of how new media practices can affect socialities in significant but unpredictable ways." (Publisher description)
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"Techniken etablieren sich nur dann, wenn sie ein Problem lösen. Auch digitale Technik setzt einen Bedarf voraus. Von diesem Grundgedanken ausgehend, beschäftigt sich der Soziologie Armin Nassehi mit der Frage, welches gesellschaftliche Problem Digitalisierung löst. Seine Antwort verweist darauf,
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dass die moderne Gesellschaft längst eine digitale Struktur hatte, bevor der erste Computer erfunden wurde. Gegenwärtige technische Mittel wie Big Data weiteten die Vermessung der Gesellschaft aus, die bereits Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts begonnen hatte. Laut Nassehi verlangt die moderne, komplexe Gesellschaft danach, dass die unsichtbaren Regelmäßigkeiten des Zusammenlebens, die untergründigen Muster, sichtbar werden. Dass Mustererkennung und Berechnung von Verhaltensweisen und Vorlieben heute so gut funktionieren, deutet auch darauf hin, dass die Strukturen der Gesellschaft beständiger und stabiler sind, als es viele Debatten über die Digitalisierung vermuten lassen." (Klappentext)
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"This Digital Citizenship Toolkit (DCT) is an attempt to introduce key concepts related to digital citizenship while taking into account the local socio-economic realities, technology adoption patterns, societal actions and other considerations. For young people, in particular, the demarcation betwe
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en online and offline is completely blurred. Therefore, in this book we do not separate the online from offline. Instead we consider it as part of a continuum, encouraging respectful and responsible behaviour in all spaces and environments. The Toolkit is presented as seven inter-linked modules. Each module starts with a brief overview, and clarification of key terms. It is followed by an exploration of the key topics coming under the module’s theme. One or more case studies are offered to illustrate some of the concepts, and wherever possible we have compiled examples and experiences from Sri Lanka." (About this digital citizenship toolkit)
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