Showing results for "K" in Media Studies

The role of social media in the events of the Arab Spring and its aftermath in the Muslim world has stimulated much debate, yet little in the way of useful insight. Now Haroon Ullah, a scholar and diplomat with deep knowledge of politics and societies in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, draws the first clear picture of the unprecedented impact of Twitter, Facebook, and other means of online communication on the recent revolutions that blazed across Muslim nations.

Is Twitter a place for sociability and conversation, a platform for public broadcasting, or a network for discussion? Digital platforms have become influential in every sphere of communication, from the intimate and everyday to the public, professional, and political. Since the scrappy start-up days of social media in the mid-2000s, not only has the worldwide importance of platforms grown exponentially, but also their cultures have shifted dramatically, in a variety of directions.

Who are we, and where did we come from? When we turn to the information provided to us, we find a mud pool of possibilities. Is this intended to subvert our built-in guidance systems? We also discover that people who are adept at researching big-picture science are offered special jobs conditional on being sworn to secrecy. What is behind this strategy? Sometimes, the reality prescribed to us doesn’t fit with or explain what we experience.