The digital democratic dividend

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Starks
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Effective Action ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Governance Framework ◽  
Public Campaign ◽  
Media Services

This commentary proposes a public campaign to counter the threat to standards of journalism posed by the expansion of digital media. It looks in particular at the lack of editorial oversight of material purporting to be news offered by Internet search and social media services. The call to regulate these services in order to combat so-called ‘fake news’ comes up against the awkward question of ‘who would regulate in the name of whom?’. To picture a way forward it is necessary to understand the governance framework within which these services operate. This leads to the answer that effective action will require pressure from civil society and the traditional media.

Indigenous language newspapers and the digital media conundrum in Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 026666692098340
Author(s):  
Kevin Onyenankeya
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Indigenous Language ◽  
Technological Determinism ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Digital Revolution ◽  
The Future ◽  
Major Factors

The future of journalism is being shaped by the convergence of technology and societal shifts. For indigenous language press in Africa battling to stay afloat amidst stiff competition from traditional media, the pervasive and rapidly encroaching digital transformation holds both opportunities and potential threats. Using a qualitative approach, this paper examined the implication of the shift to digital media for the future of the indigenous language newspaper in Africa and identifies opportunities for its sustainability within the framework of the theories of technological determinism and alternative media. The analysis indicates poor funding, shrinking patronage, and competition from traditional and social media as the major factors facing indigenous newspapers. It emerged that for indigenous language newspapers to thrive in the rapidly changing and technology-driven world they need to not only adapt to the digital revolution but also explore a business model that combines a futuristic outlook with a practical approach.

scholarly journals Credibility of Digital Political News in Spain: Comparison between Traditional Media and Social Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Reinald Besalú ◽  
Carles Pont-Sorribes
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
News Item ◽  
Digital Television ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Political News ◽  
Digital News ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Digital Formats

In the context of the dissemination of fake news and the traditional media outlets’ loss of centrality, the credibility of digital news emerges as a key factor for today’s democracies. The main goal of this paper was to identify the levels of credibility that Spanish citizens assign to political news in the online environment. A national survey (n = 1669) was designed to assess how the news format affected credibility and likelihood of sharing. Four different news formats were assessed, two of them linked to traditional media (digital newspapers and digital television) and two to social media (Facebook and WhatsApp). Four experimental groups assigned a credibility score and a likelihood of sharing score to four different political news items presented in the aforementioned digital formats. The comparison between the mean credibility scores assigned to the same news item presented in different formats showed significant differences among groups, as did the likelihood of sharing the news. News items shown in a traditional media format, especially digital television, were assigned more credibility than news presented in a social media format, and participants were also more likely to share the former, revealing a more cautious attitude towards social media as a source of news.

scholarly journals The Clickwrap: A Political Economic Mechanism for Manufacturing Consent on Social Media

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630511878477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Obar ◽  
Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
User Interactions ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Media Services ◽  
Social Media Service ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Economic Function

The clickwrap is a digital prompt that facilitates consent processes by affording users the opportunity to quickly accept or reject digital media policies. A qualitative survey analysis was conducted ( N = 513), assessing user interactions with the consent materials of a fictitious social media service, NameDrop. Findings suggest that clickwraps serve a political economic function by facilitating the circumvention of consent materials. Herman and Chomsky’s notion of the “buying mood” guides the analysis to analogize how social media maintain flow to monetized sections of services while diverting attention from policies that might encourage dissent. Clickwraps accomplish this through an agenda-setting function whereby prompts encouraging circumvention are made more prominent than policy links. Results emphasize that clickwraps discourage engagement with privacy and reputation protections by suggesting that consent materials are unimportant, contributing to the normalization of this circumvention. The assertion that clickwraps serve a political economic function suggests that capitalist methods of production are successfully being integrated into social media services and have the ability to manufacture consent.

scholarly journals Digital media in a contemporary conflict – example of Ukraine

2019 ◽  
pp. 27-44
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Galus ◽  
Yuliia Nesteriak
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Information Warfare ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Digital Space ◽  
Political Protests ◽  
Source Studies ◽  
The Times

The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia provides many examples of using media, including technologically new ones, to conduct information warfare. The article focuses on the issue of the importance of digital media in the context of war in eastern Ukraine and socio-political protests (2013/2014) that preceded the armed conflict. This article analyzes the methods of instrumental usage of digital media by Russia as the dominant entity in conducting aggressive information warfare against Ukraine as well as civic actions on the Ukrainian side aimed at counteracting Russian propaganda. The results show that, in the times of the mediatization of war, different entities tend to actively use both traditional media present in the digital space and social media. In addition, this work systematizes the conceptual apparatus related to the discussed issues. The article is based on the analysis of case studies (mainly Russian RT and Ukrainian, social initiative StopFake), content analysis, analysis and criticism of literature, and examination of source studies. The article complements the current debate on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia by highlighting the role of digital media in the context of information warfare and by showing that digital media, especially social media, can be a platform adopted not only by state actors, but also for citizens.

scholarly journals What drives Web 2.0 adoption in South African civil society organisations

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiru Pillay ◽  
Manoj S. Maharaj
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
South African ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Internal Reasons ◽  
Media Services ◽  
American Elections ◽  
The Impact ◽  
External Reasons

Background: The impact and consequences of social media adoption on society are only just being realised and studied in detail; consequently, there is no universal agreement as to the reasons for the adoption of these services. Even understanding why some social media services are popular remains to some extent elusive. The practical use of Web 2.0 does not provide any answers either with, for example, a noticeable difference in the way social media was strategically used by Barack Obama and Mitch Romney in the lead-up to the 2009 American elections. However, recent studies that have focused on social media adoption within specific sectors have begun to shed some light on these emerging adoption patterns; two studies in particular are illustrative: a 2012 study on the newspaper sector and a study on social media adoption and e-government.Objectives: This study investigates why South African civil society organisations (CSOs) adopt Web 2.0 services and the perceived and actual benefits of such adoption.Method: A survey questionnaire was sent to 1712 South African CSOs listed in the Prodder database to explore why certain social media services were adopted and the perceived benefits thereof.Results: Internal reasons for the adoption of social media services by South African CSOs coalesce around organisational visibility and access to information. External reasons focus on organisations needing to become more relevant and more connected to like-minded organisations and initiatives.Conclusion: The pervasiveness of Web 2.0 technologies makes it inevitable that CSOs will have to restructure themselves to remain relevant.

Flattening the Curve of Fake News in the Epoch of Infodemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 143-161
Author(s):  
Oluwole Olumide Durodolu ◽  
Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita ◽  
Tinyiko Vivian Dube
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Fake News ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Globally, no country has been spared by the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic that continues to wreak havoc on the socio-economic and political stability of governments and communities. The oxymoronic nature of fake news raises many questions with regards to the issues of authenticity because the concept of news is underpinned by verifiability. While fake news lacks variability, it is surprising that its digital imprint on the social media platforms continues to leave indelible marks that will undermine democracy, responsible journalism, and the benefits of the digital media. It is against this background that this chapter seeks to find strategies to flatten the curve of fake news in the epoch of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic, an epistemic challenge. The chapter is based on a positivist research methodology that sought to gather views from the study respondents on their epistemic experiences with fake news amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic. It seeks to gather views to counter the upsurge of fake news amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role of communication technology in political change and the freedom of digital media

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdullah ◽  
Kurdistan Saeed ◽  
Kanaan Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
New Information ◽  
Media Space ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines the nature of the relationship between journalists and politicians in the age of media entrepreneurship, with emphasis on the factors and challenges faced by both media entrepreneurs and politicians while using digital media. This study relies on an inductive approach through using the qualitative method, this involves conducting interviews (N: 41) with journalists to discover whether they work in traditional media organizations or/and own and manage digital media enterprises, it also brings to lights new information about politicians, especially those who have media inclinations. This study reveals that digital media provide journalists with opportunities to achieve professional and financial independence. However, their work in the context of Iraqi scope does not go beyond spreading propaganda and promoting various agenda of political parties and politicians. In terms of the content of media entrepreneurship, this study unveils anonymous social media which are affiliated with/ or supported by politicians which work as piracy for trolling political opponents and activists. It is assumed that such social media have serious repercussions for freedom and privacy. This worries activists and journalists that they are unable to express their opinions freely for fear of being attacked by anonymous social media working on behalf of politicians. Therefore, the ethics of social media and their ownership seems to be a major concern in the Iraqi political media space, and it should be taken into consideration in future research.

Conflict and interest between journalists and politicians in Iraq in the age of media entrepreneurship

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Omar Bali
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Smartphone Applications ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Media Space ◽  
The Media ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study examines the ethical conflict of interest that exists in this sphere between journalists and politicians in an age of media entrepreneurship in Iraq, which theoretically would enable journalists to express their own voices and hold a greater stake in the media market. A qualitative method was adopted for this study using open, in-depth interviews with 36 participants. The study found that relative freedom, smartphone applications and social media helped innovative Iraqi journalists to become media entrepreneurs and own media enterprises themselves. These media enterprises are characterized by activities such as publishing material that is critical in tone and satirical in content and accompanied by short videos that are broadcast on social media. This is then easily accessible for media consumers using their smartphones. Media enterprises appear to offer journalists an opportunity for professional and financial independence, but their operation in the Iraqi media space tends to reflect the propagandistic function of traditional media outlets instead of fulfilling this emancipatory role. The findings also showed that there is a dark side to Iraqi digital media enterprise, which involves politicians exploiting journalists to troll and attack activists through anonymous digital media. This in turn harms the freedom of expression and suppresses critical views voice against the political establishment.

scholarly journals The wisdom of crowds versus the madness of crowds

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin James
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Wisdom Of Crowds ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
The Wisdom Of Crowds

Declining trust in northern liberal democratic institutions poses serious challenges to legislatures (parliaments). That mistrust extends to traditional media at a time when new digital media are fanning ‘fake news’ and a ‘madness of crowds’. Will the ‘wisdom of crowds’ on which liberal democracy critically depends prevail over the ‘madness’? Can parliaments resolve that tension positively? In New Zealand trust in political institutions is still high, but voter turnout has slid, especially among the young. Parliament has work to do.

scholarly journals Fake News Travels Fast: Exploring Misinformation Circulated Around Wu Lei’s Coronavirus Case

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-513
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Olan Scott
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Production Process ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Soccer Player ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Sports Fans ◽  
News Production ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
New Challenges

This commentary analyzes how misinformation related to a coronavirus case of a star soccer player (i.e., Wu Lei) was spread widely on Chinese digital media and accepted by sports fans as the truth. The paper first examines the mechanisms by exploring how misinformation emerged and was disseminated. Then, the paper explores how social media and the fast-growing self-media in China exacerbate tendencies toward misinformation during the news production process, which poses a new threat to legacy media and journalists’ profession. The paper concludes by discussing new challenges faced by Chinese sports journalists in the new digital era after COVID-19.

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