"In 2016, there were more than 7.3 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide. Globally, 3.5 billion people were using the Internet, of which 2.5 billion were from developing countries. Mobile-broadband subscriptions have risen constantly to reach 3.6 billion, while the number of fixed-broadban
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d subscriptions reached more than 84 million during the same period. The impacts of ICTs cross all sectors. Research has shown that investment in information and communication technologies is associated with such economic benefits as higher productivity, lower costs, new economic opportunities, job creation, innovation, and increased trade. ICTs also help provide better services in health and education, and strengthen social cohesion. The Little Data Book on Information and Communication Technology 2018 illustrates the progress of this revolution for 217 economies around the world. It provides comparable statistics on the sector for 2010 and 2016 across a range of indicators, enabling readers to readily compare economies. This book includes indicators covering the economic and social context, the structure of the information and communication technology sector, sector efficiency and capacity, and sector performance related to access, usage, quality, affordability, trade, and applications." (Preface, page v)
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"The study examines the case of a Shia online news agency, Shafaqna, to argue that Internet news production by different Muslim organizations has not been limited to propagation nor circulation of religiously sanctioned news but has also been utilized as a way of building interactive identity with r
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eligion as a public practice of digital significance. The case of Shafaqna demonstrates an increasingly participatory culture within religious institutions. This inlusion, however, is not so much about radically changing the oragnization of the hazwa, with its long transnational history of seminary education and public services. Rather, it is about integrating network strategies with the employment of new technologies so as to consolidate transnational associational ties within a long tradition of religious networks revolving aorund clerical authority. Such new strategies demand a new perspective and practicing authority that is both participatory and hierarchical." (Summary)
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"Beim Stichwort „mündliches Erzählen“ denkt man hierzulande vor allem an „Märchen“, kurze und wundersame Erzählungen der Landbevölkerung vergangener Zeiten. Tatsächlich aber kannten alle Kulturen raffinierte Erzählkünste, die häufig auch Schriftliteratur und Theater inspirierten. Au
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s historischen Berichten über Erzähler und ihre Auftritte, ethnologischen Forschungen und nicht zuletzt durch zahlreiche Erzählungen der verschiedenen Kulturen entsteht eine ebenso informative wie vergnügliche Kulturgeschichte des mündlichen Erzählens. Die bezeichnenden Formen und Funktionen der vielfältigen Erzähltraditionen ergeben ein schillerndes Bild der Kommunikationsform „Erzählen“: die Interaktion zwischen Erzähler und Hörern in den Dörfern Afrikas etwa, die Improvisationstechnik der Epenerzähler Mittelasiens oder die Unterschiede zwischen männlichem und weiblichem Erzählen im islamischen Orient. Öffentliches Erzählen diente stets auch der Verständigung über Werte und Einstellungen. Die modernen Massenmedien können den interagierenden Erzähler nicht ersetzen, was verständlich macht, warum dieses „Urmedium“ neuerdings auch in der „Mediengesellschaft“ wieder eine überraschende Faszination ausübt." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Digital Middle East sheds a critical light on continuing changes that are closely intertwined with the adoption of information and communication technologies in the MENA region. Drawing on case studies from throughout the Middle East, the contributors explore how these digital transformations are p
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laying out in the social, cultural, political, and economic spheres, exposing the various disjunctions and discordances that have marked the advent of the digital Middle East." (Publisher description)
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"Christian media in a highly fragile region are faced with a number of challenges: the issues of security, trust and persecution have prevented them from develping more inclusive strategies, strengthening their relationship with their audience or conducting qualitative or quantitative audience resea
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rch. The problem of funds and the competitive fundraising market have resulted in low-quality, monotonous productions with limited diversity, and limited capacity to hire professionals in the filed, as well as compromised their vision and strategies. Therefore, the challenges they face have affected their working strategy, negatively impacted their performance and limited their responses to the needs of Christian communities and the wider societies in the region." (Conclusion)
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"Maestri and Profanter highlight that the methodological approaches adopted in this volume are both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. Focusing on the changing relationship between the dynamics of Arab communication spaces and the role of Arab women both in and through the media, the introduct
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ion reveals the editors’ ambitious task to link a series of chapters reflecting applied research on highly sensitive and pivotal issues. The influence of new technologies and feminism is seen as an important historical determinant of the human development process in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Maestri and Profanter highlight the rise of new convergences between secular and Islamic aspirations in the Arab female world and in their media and cyberspheres, where education is confirmed as a vehicle of mutual respect." (Extract)
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"Building on critical theory, most notably Herman and Chomsky's Propaganda Model, Florian Zollmann's pioneering study brings propaganda back to the forefront of the debate. On the basis of a forensic examination of 1,911 newspaper articles, Zollmann investigates US, UK and German media reporting of
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the military operations in Kosovo, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Egypt. The book demonstrates how 'humanitarian intervention' and 'R2P' are only evoked in the news media if so called 'enemy' countries of Western states are the perpetrators of human rights violations. Zollmann's work evidences that the news media plays a crucial propaganda role in facilitating a selective process of shaming during the build-up towards military interventions." (Back cover)
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"The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media is a convenient and authoritative reference tool, introducing specific terms and concepts helpful to the study of the Bible and related literature in ancient communications culture. Since the early 1980s, biblical scholars have begun to explore the pote
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ntials of interdisciplinary theories of oral tradition, oral performance, personal and collective memory, ancient literacy and scribality, visual culture and ritual. Over time these theories have been combined with considerations of critical and exegetical problems in the study of the Bible, the history of Israel, Christian origins, and rabbinics. The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media responds to the rapid growth of the field by providing a source of reference that offers clear definitions, and in-depth discussions of relevant terms and concepts, and the relationships between them. The volume begins with an overview of 'ancient media studies' and a brief history of research to orient the reader to the field and the broader research context of the book, with individual entries on terms and topics commonly encountered in studies of the Bible in ancient media culture. Each entry defines the term/ concept under consideration, then offers more sustained discussion of the topic, paying particular attention to its relevance for the study of the Bible and related literature." (Publisher description)
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"EBTICAR (E-booster for technical and Innovative Contents in the Arab region, ou « innovation » en langue arabe) a cherché à améliorer l'information fiable et diversifiée dans le débat démocratique en renforçant la capacité et la crédibilité des acteurs des médias en ligne de la Médite
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rranée du Sud dans leur environnement socio-professionnel, grâce à la consolidation de la fourniture d'informations [...] "Un projet efficace mais dont l'impact demeure fragile: Sur la base des constats de l'évaluation, les objectifs d' de l'UE restent ambitieux et l'objectif macro du programme semble être déconnecté des modalités du projet micro et de sa durée de 36 mois. Au-delà du soutien technique, financier et administratif des projets sélectionnés dans le cadre des appels à proposition, des mesures d'accompagnement allant au-delà des projets mériteraient d'être mises en place pour répondre aux besoins structurels des acteurs au-delà de la portée du programme." (Sommaire)
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"In April 2017, an Internews team conducted a rapid assessment on information needs among refugees and migrants in Italy, visiting formal reception facilities (hotspot, CAS, CARA) in Lampedusa, Agrigento, Catania, and informal centers in Ventimiglia and Rome [...] Lost in Translation examines the cr
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itical role of local media and provides recommendations for addressing the information void contributing to the refugee crisis." (www.internews.org)
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"This edited volume offers the first extended, cross-disciplinary exploration of the cumulative problems and increasing importance of various forms of media in the Middle East. Leading scholars with expertise in Middle Eastern studies discuss their views and perceptions of the media’s influence on
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regional and global change. Focusing on aspects of economy, digital news, online businesses, gender-related issues, social media, and film, the contributors of this volume detail media’s role in political movements throughout the Middle East. The volume illustrates how the increase in Internet connections and mobile applications have resulted in an emergence of indispensable tools for information acquisition, dissemination, and activism." (Publisher description)
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"This report captures of the findings of the “Youth on Screen” initiative, which was born out of a growing desire amongst youth civil society groups and broadcasters in the Southern Mediterranean Region to tackle the issue of youth representation on television head on. The report not only looks
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at the structural deficiencies which have meant that the voices of young people remain unheard within media broadcasters but also at representational issues, namely the paucity of television content which deals with youth-related matters." (www.med-media.eu)
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"It is precisely to counterbalance what are largely “outsider” views in the main edition of Global Information Society Watch that we wanted this companion edition to capture the origin stories, achievements and challenges of National and Regional IGF Initiative (NRI) in their own words. Their st
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ruggles should not be taken for granted. Behind each are people who have worked extremely hard, dedicating time, most often on a voluntary basis, or on top of already demanding jobs, to convince people to participate, and, particularly challenging, to provide financial support. Like the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF), most NRIs are still learning, trying to be stronger, find their feet, gain legitimacy, and achieve effectively balanced stakeholder participation and debate. They face huge constraints – financial, but also often political. Each has its own dynamics and will follow its own path and will hopefully benefit from the support provided by the IGF Secretariat and the NRI community." (Preface)
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"This report presents the final results of a nine-month regional peer-to-peer exchange programme implemented in 2017 by MedMedia, an EU-funded programme, and COPEAM, in partnership with public service broadcasters in the Southern Mediterranean Region. The programme aimed at developing training polic
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ies and resources with a particular focus on ways in which internal training strategies can address the digital transition. The exchanges also raised awareness on the pivotal role of the Arab States Broadcasting Union’s Media Training Academy in supporting training initiatives at the public service broadcasters, through Menos, a dedicated distance learning system." (www.med-media.eu)
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"This paper looks at the extent to which journalistic culture in Muslim-majority countries is shaped by a distinctive Islamic worldview. We identified four principles of an Islamic perspective to journalism: truth and truth-telling (siddiq and haqq), pedagogy (tabligh), seeking the best for the publ
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ic interest (maslahah), and moderation (wasatiyyah). A survey of working journalists in Africa (Egypt, Sierra Leone, and Sudan), Asia (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates), and Europe (Albania and Kosovo) found manifestations of these roles in the investigated countries. The results point to the strong importance of an interventionist approach to journalism—as embodied in the maslahah principle—in most societies. Overall, however, journalists’ roles in Muslim-majority countries are not so much shaped by a distinctively Islamic worldview as they were by the political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts." (Abstract)
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"This book argues that Internet diffusion and use in the Middle East enables meaningful micro-changes in citizens’ lives, even in states where no Arab Spring revolution occurred. Using ethnographic evidence and taking a comparative perspective, it presents a grass roots look at how new media use f
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its into the practice of everyday life. It explores why citizens use social media to digitally route around state and other forms of power at work in their lives. This increase in citizen civic engagement, supported by new media use, offers the possibility of a new order of things, from redefining patriarchal power relations at home, to reconfigurations of citizens’ relationships with the state, broadly defined. The author argues that new media channels offer pathways to empowerment widely and cheaply in the Middle East." (Publisher description)
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