scholarly journals Digital Threats to Democracy: Comparative Lessons and Possible Remedies

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Miller ◽  
Cristian Vaccari
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Profound Change ◽  
The World ◽  
State Interference

We introduce a special issue that collects eight articles, comprising research from twenty-three countries and four continents on the sources, impact on citizens, and possible remedies to various digital threats to democracy, ranging from disinformation to hate speech to state interference with online freedoms. We set these contributions against the backdrop of a profound change in how scholars think about the implications of digital media for democracy. From the utopianism that prevailed from the 1990s until the early 2010s, the post-2016 reckoning has led to a change in the kinds of questions scholars ask, with the focus gradually shifting to investigations of the threats, rather than the benefits, of the Internet. The eight contributions presented in this special issue employ a variety of disciplinary approaches and methods, often comparing different countries, to address some of the most pressing questions on how the Internet can hinder the feasibility and well-functioning of democracy around the world. We conclude by setting out three challenges for future research on digital media and politics: a growing but still partial understanding of the extent and impact of the main digital threats to democracy; the risk that the dominant approaches become overly pessimistic, or founded on weak normative grounds; and the risk that research overemphasizes direct and short-term implications of digital threats on individuals and specific groups at the expense of indirect and medium-term effects on collective norms and expectations of behavior.

Out loud: The experience of literature in the digital space

Book 2 0 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Warner
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Electronic Media ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Present Climate ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Digital Space ◽  
The World ◽  
The Web

In the present climate of discouragement that threatens all of us who hold the Humanities dear, one of the worst threats, or so it seems, has been the dumbing down consequent on digital media and the rise of hate speech on digital platforms. I want to offer some countervailing reflections and hopes, and explore the activity and the potential of the World Wide Web as a forum for literature; in spite of the instinctive recoil and bristling horror I feel for social media as currently used, it is possible to consider and reframe the question of reading on the web. Doing so leads to the questions, what is literature and can literature be found beyond the printed book? It is my contention – perhaps my Candide-like hope – that the internet is spurring writers on to creating things with words that are not primarily aimed at silent readers but at an audience that is listening and viewing and feeling, and maybe also reading all at the same time, participating in word events channelled through electronic media.

COVID-19 Deaths on the Digital Media

2021 ◽  
pp. 446-460
Author(s):  
Ferihan Ayaz
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Internet Archive ◽  
The World

The COVID-19 pandemic has reached a level that threatens the health of the whole world. This study aimed to prevent misinformation on this subject by examining the death-related dimension of COVID-19 disease. In the study, the internet archive of three newspapers (Sabah, Hürriyet, and Sözcü) with the highest circulation as of October 2020 was searched with the keywords “corona death” and “COVID-19 death.” A total of 120 contents in three newspapers (40 items from each newspaper) were selected by a simple random sampling technique and all of them were subjected to content analysis. As a result, the COVID-19 disease was handled in a panic-inducing manner. This situation reflected the images. The deaths will increase even more in the winter months of 2020. Although there are initiatives regarding vaccination, not all people can benefit equally in the short term. Measures are often emphasized, especially by the Minister of Health. While COVID-19 deaths are increasing all over the world, how are they so low in China? This is a question in the contents.

Making It for the Screen

2015 ◽  
pp. 249-264
Author(s):  
Paul Chilsen
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Creation Process ◽  
Screen Media ◽  
The World ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Digital Media Literacy

We are immersed in a culture of spoken media, written media, and now irrevocably, digital screen media. Just as writing and speaking skills are keys to functioning in society, we must consider that the world increasingly demands proficiency in “mediating” as well. Doing anything less leaves this powerful medium in the hands of a relative few. By offering instruction in what digital screen media is, how it is effectively created, how the Internet continues to alter communication, and how this all informs everyday teaching and learning, digital media literacy can become more broadly understood and accessible. This chapter follows a program developed by the Rosebud Institute and looks at how—using simple, accessible technology—people can become more digital media literate by creating screen products themselves. The creation process also enables deeper, more authentic learning, allowing us all to communicate more effectively, to self-assess more reflectively, and to thrive in a screen-based world.

Digital Democracy in Authoritarian Russia

2019 ◽  
pp. 1533-1543
Author(s):  
Rachel Baarda
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Print Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Civic Discourse ◽  
Digital Democracy ◽  
The World

Digital media is expected to promote political participation in government. Around the world, from the United States to Europe, governments have been implementing e-government (use of of the Internet to make bureaucracy more efficient) and promising e-democracy (increased political participation by citizens). Does digital media enable citizens to participate more easily in government, or can authoritarian governments interfere with citizens' ability to speak freely and obtain information? This study of digital media in Russia will show that while digital media can be used by Russian citizens to gain information and express opinions, Kremlin ownership of print media, along with censorship laws and Internet surveillance, can stifle the growth of digital democracy. Though digital media appears to hold promise for increasing citizen participation, this study will show that greater consideration needs to be given to the power of authoritarian governments to suppress civic discourse on the Internet.

The Survey

2020 ◽  
pp. 77-91
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
National Level ◽  
Analysis Procedure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Safeguard Measures ◽  
Internet Regulation ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
The World

There are very few surveys conducted worldwide regarding internet users' opinions about internet regulation. What's more, the authors have already discussed the importance of measuring public opinion around the world in their endeavour to design and propose a fair IRS that will be accepted by the internet users at a national level. In this chapter, the authors discuss the design of their questionnaire and how it was evolved from the initial 2007 UK questionnaire to the current one that was used for conducting surveys in six different countries. This chapter presents the procedure that was used for collecting responses and what kinds of “safeguard” measures were taken in order to avoid deterioration of the gathered survey data. What's more, the analysis procedure of the gathered data is being presented, and the authors discuss the possibility of biased questionnaires and how the latter can be tackled further in future research.

Digital Economy

2019 ◽  
pp. 131-170
Author(s):  
Anu Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Data Protection ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Eu Legislation ◽  
The World ◽  
The Eu

Chapter 5 focuses on two areas of regulation that have been central to the EU’s efforts to regulate the digital economy: data protection and the regulation of hate speech online. The chapter first reviews the EU legislation governing data protection and explains the economic and political drivers behind it. It then discusses some examples of both the de facto and de jure Brussels Effect on data protection. Then, the focus turns to online hate speech, again reviewing the regulation, the underlying economic and political motivations, as well as examples of how the EU has drawn the line between acceptable and unacceptable speech in the internet era—not just in Europe but around the world.

Mobilisierung zu politischer Partizipation durch das Internet: Erwartungen, Erkenntnisse und Herausforderungen der Forschung

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Escher
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
The Public ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
Politically Active

AbstractThis article is focusing on the state of research into the extent to which the opportunities for information, communication and participation opened up by the Internet have led to greater mobilisation of the public for political participation. After briefly presenting the diversity of conflicting expectations towards the Internet’s role for the political process, the article discusses the relevance of digital media as a means for mobilising greater and more equal political participation from a liberal-representative perspective on democracy. At the core of the article is a discussion of the last 15 years of research empirically testing the mobilisation hypothesis as well as the theories proposed to explain the observed participation patterns. What becomes dear is that the Internet does indeed slightly increase rates of political participation but with few exceptions those newly mobilised come from parts of the population that are already politically active. At the same time, the explanations still exhibit considerable gaps that remain to be dosed. To this end future research needs to address a number of challenges which are discussed in the final section of the article.

Thumbs up, thumbs down? Likes and dislikes as popularity drivers of political YouTube videos

First Monday ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Olof Larsson
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Parliamentary Election ◽  
Election Campaigns ◽  
Youtube Videos ◽  
The Impact

While early ideas surrounding the influence of the Internet on political participation and communication were often overtly optimistic, comparably recent years have seen the rise of online hate speech and similar issues gaining influence in a variety of online spheres. The study presented here seeks to detail the impact of positive (‘thumbs-up’) and negative (‘thumbs-down’) feedback on the popularity of politically themed YouTube videos, uploaded during the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election. Given the apparent dearth of studies on YouTube in this regard, the insights provided here furthers our understanding regarding the drivers of online popularity during election campaigns. Specifically, results indicate that while commenting on uploaded videos appear as related to the ‘thumbs-up’ variety, video view count appear as more clearly related to the dismissive ‘thumbs-down’ feedback option. Discussing these results, the final section of the paper also provides a few suggestions for future research efforts in this vein.

Introduction to the special issue on syntax and verbal short term/working memory in developmental disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-340
Author(s):  
Stavroula Stavrakaki
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The Status

In the field of developmental disorders, two main research approaches, the linguistic approach and the cognitive psychology of memory approach, have been used to a great extent independently. Recently, researchers have investigated simultaneously the language and verbal memory abilities – especially verbal short term memory (VSTM) and verbal working memory (VWM) – of individuals with developmental disorders. The present Special Issue contributes to the discussion of the relation between VSTM/VWM and syntax in developmental disorders. It reports empirical data from six studies on the relation between verbal memory and syntax in different disorders and languages, and it raises theoretical issues concerning these cognitive mechanisms. It concludes with three commentary articles where the authors raise crucial theoretical and methodological issues: they pose questions concerning the status of VSTM/VWM and syntax, and spell out directions for future research in this field.

E-Behaviour Trends and Patterns among Malaysian Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-62
Author(s):  
Selvi Salome Gnasigamoney ◽  
Manjit Singh Sidhu
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Age Group ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
New Millennium

The threat of cyber-related crimes due to excessive usage of Internet and current e-behaviour amongst the younger children is not new in this new millennium but stays as an issue for consideration. This paper provide a general pattern of online related behaviours that seem to be taking place among Malaysian pre-adolescents and adolescents and its possible impact on their behaviours leading towards cyber-related crimes. Facts and finding from various researches conducted from different parts of the world, including Malaysia were reviewed. The results from various studies reveal that a great concern and strategies have to be put into place as the age group using the Internet has reduced and the routine activity of pre-adolescence and adolescence are changing and are based on Internet. Non-awareness of their current online behaviours and its possible link to cyber-related crimes may lead these young children to a greater threat when using e-Commerce or any other Internet dependent activities in the future. This paper focuses on the facts collected from various studies to justify the importance of having future research on this phenomenon.

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