From Digital Shock to Miniaturised Mobility: International Students’ Digital Journey in China

2021 ◽  
pp. 102831532110651
Author(s):  
Jing Qi ◽  
Wenqin Shen ◽  
Kun Dai

As Asia's largest host country of international students, China's digitial placemaking is impacting on international students’ experience whilst studying and living in the country. This rqualitative study addresses the issue of international students’ transition to the digital environment in China. It draws on the theoretical perspectives of international students’ digital journeys and miniaturised mobilities to inform thematic analysis of artefact-mediated student interviews and social media posts. Findings show that international students’ digital journeys in China are characterised by three modes of digital adaptation including digital shock, digital border crossing and digital approachability. We argue that engaging in these modes of digital adaptation has reconstituted international students’ subjectivity through empowering miniaturised mobility, but also a sense of digital in-betweenness as they operate between two different virtual worlds.

2018 ◽  
Vol 169 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzi Hutchings ◽  
Dianne Rodger

This article explores how Indigenous-Australian Hip-Hop group A.B. Original use Twitter to promote their music and more broadly, as a conduit for political expression, protest and the celebration of Indigenous identities. We use Indigenous knowledges and Indigenous standpoint theories to extend on the current literature that examines the use of social media by Indigenous peoples. In decolonising research, these theoretical perspectives position the Indigenous participant at the centre of research practice where knowledge is created. Indigenous knowledges therefore become the paradigm through which social interaction is understood and described. Our thematic analysis of A.B. Original’s public Twitter activity from November 2016 to January 2017 demonstrates that the combination of Hip-Hop and social media are powerful forces utilised by young Indigenous people in Australia to discuss issues impacting their everyday lives and to make meaningful statements on contemporary Aboriginality and sovereignty.


ISIS Propaganda offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of the Islamic State’s (IS) propaganda. Combining a range of different theoretical perspectives from across the social sciences and using rigorous methods, the authors pursue several interconnected tasks. They trace the origins of IS’s message, they lay bare the strategic logic guiding its evolution, they examine each of its many components (magazines, videos, music, social media, etc.) and show how they work together to radicalize audiences’ worldviews, and they highlight the challenges such a “full-spectrum propaganda” raises in terms of counterterrorism. The volume hence not only represents a one-stop point for any analyst of IS and Salafi-jihadism, but also a rich contribution to the study of text and visual propaganda, radicalization and political violence, and international security.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402098886
Author(s):  
Liselotte Eek-Karlsson

The aim of this study is to contribute with knowledge of young peoples’ communication in social media. A total of 32 boys and girls aged 14 to 15 years old, from two schools in Sweden, participated in this study. A hermeneutic interpretation process formed the basis of the analysis process. The data were thematized based on patterns found throughout the material. Theoretical perspectives concerning normalization processes related to the use of language were connected to the data to deepen the understanding of themes and patterns. The result shows that there is an ongoing negotiation with reciprocal processes in which both boys and girls have lots of reference points to consider, when they interact online. There are social norms and rules related to the online arena itself, as well as normative expectations connected to gender orders. The gender category is intertwined with sexuality and group hierarchies, which give the youth different power positions to act online.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (13) ◽  
pp. 870-877
Author(s):  
Calvin Moorley ◽  
Theresa Chinn

Background: In 2016 the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK introduced revalidation, which is the process nurses are required to follow to renew their registration. This provides an opportunity for nurses to shape, develop and evolve social media to meet their professional requirements. Aims: to examine different ways nurses can use social media tools for continuous professional development (CPD) and revalidation. Methods: using a qualitative reflective design, data were gathered from content on the @WeNurses platform and activities organised with other leading health organisations in England. These data were analysed using the social media relationship triangle developed by the authors with a thematic analysis approach. Findings: analysis revealed that social media was used in six categories: publishing, sharing, messaging, discussing, collaborating, and networking. Organised social media events such as: blogs, tweetchats, Twitter storms, webinars, infographics, podcasts, videos and virtual book clubs can support nurses with revalidation and professional development. Conclusion: Through using a participatory CPD approach and embracing professional social media applications nurses have moved social media from the concept of a revolution to an evolution.


AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842199553
Author(s):  
Ioana Literat

Social media, and especially popular youth-focused platforms like TikTok, can offer a valuable window into youth experiences, including their perceptions of online learning. Building on a large-scale thematic analysis of 1,930 TikTok videos posted in March-June 2020, this study examines how young people shared their experiences of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that youth portrayed online coursework as overwhelming and relentless against the traumatic background of the pandemic. They sought support, empathy, and authenticity from teachers, and both received and provided emotional and educational support to peers on the platform. Students’ home contexts emerged as particularly salient, making visible the intersections between young people’s home, school and social lives. By facilitating a grounded, bottom-up understanding of students’ experiences and perceptions—shared in their preferred spaces and modes of expression—this research stresses the need to attend to youth perspectives to craft more equitable and empowering educational futures.


Genealogy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Carlson ◽  
Tristan Kennedy

Social media is a highly valuable site for Indigenous people to express their identities and to engage with other Indigenous people, events, conversations, and debates. While the role of social media for Indigenous peoples is highly valued for public articulations of identity, it is not without peril. Drawing on the authors’ recent mixed-methods research in Australian Indigenous communities, this paper presents an insight into Indigenous peoples’ experiences of cultivating individual and collective identities on social media platforms. The findings suggest that Indigenous peoples are well aware of the intricacies of navigating a digital environment that exhibits persistent colonial attempts at the subjugation of Indigenous identities. We conclude that, while social media remains perilous, Indigenous people are harnessing online platforms for their own ends, for the reinforcement of selfhood, for identifying and being identified and, as a vehicle for humour and subversion.


Author(s):  
Hanan MOHAMMED ALSHEHAB

The effect of Social Media (SM) technology on human life in the 21St century cannot be denied; the use of SM platforms can be seen in various fields, such as education, medicine, politics, social life, communication methods, and daily life. The research aimed to investigate SM’s impact on Female Saudi International Students’ (FSIS) English language learning and creation of identities. This study utilized a qualitative method to obtain in-depth knowledge of FSIS’ practices on SM and the effects on their learning and identity. The semi-structured interview was used to collect the data from eight FSIS. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three main themes were generated: FSIS’ daily practices, FSIS’ digital identity, and FSIS’languages on SM. The findings show that FSIS is active on SM, having accounts on different SM platforms. They communicate with people from Saudi Arabia and of different nationalities. Also, the findings assert that FSIS has a strong digital identity on SM. Moreover, the findings emphasized that using SM helps some of the FSIS to improve their English language proficiency. They use SM as a learning tool for English language acquisition. The limitations and the implications of the study are stated in the Conclusion. For further research, suggestions are made to investigate more phenomena regarding Saudis’ using of SM.


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