DOCSLIB.ORG

The Effects of Social Media on Democratization

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Effects of Social Media on Democratization City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Dissertations and Theses City College of New York 2012 The Effects of Social Media on Democratization Melissa Spinner CUNY City College How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/110 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] The Effects of Social Media on Democratization Melissa Spinner Date: August 2011 Master’s Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of International Affairs at the City College of New York Advisor: Bruce Cronin Table of Contents Introduction..............................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Defining and Understanding Democratization.....................................16 Chapter 2: Defining and Understanding New Technologies .................................30 Chapter 3: Infrastructure and Contextual Conditions that Lead to Democratization ......49 Chapter 4: Evidence of the Link Between Social Media and Democratization ....68 Chapter 5: The Philippines: How Text Messaging Ousted a President.................85 Chapter 6: Egypt: The Beginning of Democratization ..........................................92 Chapter 7: Disputing the Dissenters ......................................................................99 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................121 Bibliography ........................................................................................................130 Table of Figures Figure 1: Influence of voters in 2004 Spanish election .........................................66 Figure 2: Linear graph of ties between democracy and interconnectivity.............69 Figure 3: Correlation between Democracy and Internet Users..............................70 Figure 4: Democracy versus Technology Diffusion Index....................................71 Figure 5: Qualitative Analysis Structures .............................................................76 Abstract Within the past decade people around the world have become progressively more aware and interested in the new uses of digital technologies in movements for political change. The technologies have given more people and groups access to information and the tools needed to increase productivity and communication than in the past. As a result of these new digital technologies, the number of people contributing to their civil societies has radically increased. My thesis questions: What is the value of digital activism in the process of democratization around the world? How did those that succeed successfully use these new technologies as opposed to the several others that have failed? Are the successful practices replicable in other scenarios with a similar context? In studying, analyzing, and evaluating digital activism, I attempt to determine how citizens can use digital technologies more efficiently in order to exercise their political power in a more effective manner. Introduction On January 17 th , 2001 thousands of Filipinos gathered on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, a major crossroad in Manila, after having forwarded the text message “Go 2 EDSA. Wear blk” and “Full mblsn tday EDSA” to over seven million people. Within a few days there were over a million people protesting the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada for not using incriminating evidence during his trial. 1 Thanks to the public’s ability to coordinate such a fast and massive response, Estrada was impeached three days later. The impeachment of Estrada was the first, but not final, time a form of digital media was used to force out a national leader. In the past few years several societies have used different forms of digital media in order to revolt against their governments. As with all new technologies, it is important to study the effects digital media has had on both communities and regimes in order to attempt to predict its effects on other nation-states. Digital media can be defined as a form of electronic communication in which users create communities to share information, ideas, and other content via web-based and/or mobile technologies. 2 My thesis will question whether digital media tools create, aid, enhance, or hinder democratization. I will observe the text message coordinated protest in the Philippines in 2001 as well as the Facebook Egyptian revolution in 2011 to support my findings. This paper concludes that while digital media may not have been the cause of these revolutions it has certainly aided and expanded the reach of the revolutions. 1 Clay Shirky, "The Political Power of Digital media," Foreign Affairs , http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media. 2 "Dictionary and Thesaurus," Merriam-Webster Online , http://www.merriam-webster.com. 1 This is a very important and time sensitive topic in the field of international relations. While democratization has been occurring for hundreds of years and has equally been a topic worthwhile of research, it is just recently that technology, and more importantly digital media, has been a factor in democratization. Politicians, news anchors, and even bloggers have been concentrating on this topic increasingly as more countries rise up against their governments. Democratization is defined as the change to a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. 3 To begin I will examine democratization theories laid out by political scientists and philosophers. Samuel Huntington in Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century discusses several causes of democratization including wealth, education, capitalism, social equality, culture and foreign intervention. He also mentions three processes of democratization. Transformation is a top-down change coming from within the government. Transplacement is when the regime and government negotiate reform. Replacement is when the regime breaks down or collapses. 4 I will be primarily concerned with the third process of democratization: replacement. Huntington believes there have been three modern waves of democratization: first during the 19 th century, second after World War II, and third in the mid 1970’s. 5 I would like to further his studies by arguing that the fourth wave of democratization began in the 3 Dictionary and Thesaurus: Oxford English Dictionary 4 Samuel P. Huntington, The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century . (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991). 5 ibid. 2 new millennium with the rise of digital media and technology. While digital media has not caused non-democratic nations to begin the democratization process, I believe that it has offered a new means of communication for individuals to fight for their right. Robert Dahl, a distinguished political scientist, has argued that in order for a government to continue, all citizens must be able to “formulate their preferences” as well as have their preferences be weighed equally regardless of the source. 6 This is especially relevant in situations in which citizens rise up against their governments using digital media sources. The Internet is not the first technology associated with freedom. Previous inventions such as the printing press, telegraph, radio, telephone and computer all have the ability to free individuals, as well as to assist their oppressors. 7 However, unlike the television, radio, and printing press, the Internet is both interactive and personalized to allow users to share experiences online. 8 Barry Wellman argues that social networks are “profoundly transforming the nature of communities, sociality, and interpersonal relations”. 9 These networks enable the communication between different cultures by sharing their values of communication despite and different values they may have. 6 Robert A. Dahl, Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition , (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1971). 7 Henry Jenkins, David Thorburn, and Brad Seawell, Democracy and New Media , (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), p. 26. 8 Michael Richter, "Facebook's Response to DoC," Facebook, Palo Alto, January 28, 2011. 9 Jeffrey Juris, "The New Digital Media and Activist Networking within Anti-Corporate Globalization Movements," American Academy of Political and Social Science 597 (2005), p. 189-208. 3 Although cultures may have opposing cultural values, these networks enable them to share their values of communication and thus interact more easily. 10 Digital technologies and applications are changing the way individuals, governments, and non-governmental organizations are interacting today. They have given more people and groups access to information and the tools needed to increase productivity and communication than in the past. As a result of these new digital technologies, the number of people contributing to their civil society has radically increased. In my thesis I will describe and define major social media technologies. Facebook, a major social networking website, launched in 2004 for college students, and has more than 600 million users as of January 2011. 11 Facebook exists and thrives because of people’s desire to share information
Load more

Recommended publications
  • To Make Claims About Or Even Adequately Understand the "True Nature" of Organizations Or Leadership Is a Monumental Task
    BooK REvrnw: HERE CoMES EVERYBODY: THE PowER OF ORGANIZING WITHOUT ORGANIZATIONS (Clay Shirky, Penguin Press, 2008. Hardback, $25.95] -CHRIS FRANCOVICH GONZAGA UNIVERSITY To make claims about or even adequately understand the "true nature" of organizations or leadership is a monumental task. To peer into the nature of the future of these complex phenomena is an even more daunting project. In this book, however, I think we have both a plausible interpretation of organ­ ization ( and by implication leadership) and a rare glimpse into what we are becoming by virtue of our information technology. We live in a complex, dynamic, and contingent environment whose very nature makes attributing cause and effect, meaning, or even useful generalizations very difficult. It is probably not too much to say that historically the ability to both access and frame information was held by the relatively few in a system and structure whose evolution is, in its own right, a compelling story. Clay Shirky is in the enviable position of inhabiting the domain of the technological elite, as well as being a participant and a pioneer in the social revolution that is occurring partly because of the technologies and tools invented by that elite. As information, communication, and organization have grown in scale, many of our scientific, administrative, and "leader-like" responses unfortu­ nately have remained the same. We find an analogous lack of appropriate response in many followers as evidenced by large group effects manifested through, for example, the response to advertising. However, even that herd­ like consumer behavior seems to be changing. Markets in every domain are fragmenting.
    [Show full text]
  • Information Technology Management 14
    Information Technology Management 14 Valerie Bryan Practitioner Consultants Florida Atlantic University Layne Young Business Relationship Manager Indianapolis, IN Donna Goldstein GIS Coordinator Palm Beach County School District Information Technology is a fundamental force in • IT as a management tool; reshaping organizations by applying investment in • understanding IT infrastructure; and computing and communications to promote competi- • ȱǯ tive advantage, customer service, and other strategic ęǯȱǻȱǯȱǰȱŗşşŚǼ ȱȱ ȱ¢ȱȱȱ¢ǰȱȱ¢Ȃȱ not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road. ǻ ȱǼ ȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ǯȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱ ȱ- ¢ȱȱȱȱȱǯȱ ǰȱ What is IT? because technology changes so rapidly, park and recre- ation managers must stay updated on both technological A goal of management is to provide the right tools for ȱȱȱȱǯ ěȱ ȱ ě¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱǰȱȱǰȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱǯȱȱȱȱ ǰȱȱȱȱ ȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱ recreation organization may be comprised of many of terms crucial for understanding the impact of tech- ȱȱȱȱǯȱȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ǯȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ǯȱ ȱ - ȱȱęȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱ ¢ȱǻ Ǽȱȱȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱȱȱ ǰȱ ȱ ȱ ȬȬ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱȱǯȱȱȱȱȱ ¢ȱȱǯȱȱ ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱ¡ȱȱȱȱȱǻǰȱŗşŞśǼǯȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱĞȱȱȱȱ ǻȱ¡ȱŗŚǯŗȱ Ǽǯ ě¢ȱȱȱȱǯ Information technology is an umbrella term Details concerning the technical terms used in this that covers a vast array of computer disciplines that ȱȱȱȱȱȱȬȬęȱ ȱȱ permit organizations to manage their information ǰȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ȭȱ ¢ȱ ǯȱ¢ǰȱȱ¢ȱȱȱ ȱȱ ǯȱȱȱȱȱȬȱ¢ȱ a fundamental force in reshaping organizations by applying ȱȱ ȱȱ ȱ¢ȱȱȱȱ investment in computing and communications to promote ȱȱ¢ǯȱ ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱ competitive advantage, customer service, and other strategic ȱ ǻȱ ȱ ŗŚȬŗȱ ęȱ ȱ DZȱ ęȱǻǰȱŗşşŚǰȱǯȱřǼǯ ȱ Ǽǯ ȱ¢ȱǻ Ǽȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱęȱȱȱ¢ȱȱ ȱ¢ǯȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱ ȱȱ ȱȱȱȱ ȱ¢ȱ ȱȱǯȱ ȱ¢ǰȱ ȱȱ ȱDZ ȱȱȱȱǯȱ ȱȱȱȱǯȱ It lets people learn things they didn’t think they could • ȱȱȱ¢ǵ ȱǰȱȱǰȱȱȱǰȱȱȱȱȱǯȱ • the manager’s responsibilities; ǻȱǰȱȱ¡ȱĜȱȱĞǰȱȱ • information resources; ǷȱǯȱȱȱřŗǰȱŘŖŖŞǰȱ • disaster recovery and business continuity; ȱĴDZȦȦ ǯ ǯǼ Information Technology Management 305 Exhibit 14.
    [Show full text]
  • Bioinformatics 1
    Bioinformatics 1 Bioinformatics School School of Science, Engineering and Technology (http://www.stmarytx.edu/set/) School Dean Ian P. Martines, Ph.D. ([email protected]) Department Biological Science (https://www.stmarytx.edu/academics/set/undergraduate/biological-sciences/) Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary and growing field in science for solving biological, biomedical and biochemical problems with the help of computer science, mathematics and information technology. Bioinformaticians are in high demand not only in research, but also in academia because few people have the education and skills to fill available positions. The Bioinformatics program at St. Mary’s University prepares students for graduate school, medical school or entry into the field. Bioinformatics is highly applicable to all branches of life sciences and also to fields like personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics — the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. The Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics offers three tracks that students can choose. • Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics with a minor in Biology: 120 credit hours • Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics with a minor in Computer Science: 120 credit hours • Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics with a minor in Applied Mathematics: 120 credit hours Students will take 23 credit hours of core Bioinformatics classes, which included three credit hours of internship or research and three credit hours of a Bioinformatics Capstone course. BS Bioinformatics Tracks • Bachelor of Science
    [Show full text]
  • Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21St Century
    An occasional paper on digital media and learning Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century Henry Jenkins, Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Katie Clinton Ravi Purushotma Alice J. Robison Margaret Weigel Building the new field of digital media and learning The MacArthur Foundation launched its five-year, $50 million digital media and learning initiative in 2006 to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life.Answers are critical to developing educational and other social institutions that can meet the needs of this and future generations. The initiative is both marshaling what it is already known about the field and seeding innovation for continued growth. For more information, visit www.digitallearning.macfound.org.To engage in conversations about these projects and the field of digital learning, visit the Spotlight blog at spotlight.macfound.org. About the MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition.With assets of $5.5 billion, the Foundation makes grants totaling approximately $200 million annually. For more information or to sign up for MacArthur’s monthly electronic newsletter, visit www.macfound.org. The MacArthur Foundation 140 South Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago, Illinois 60603 Tel.(312) 726-8000 www.digitallearning.macfound.org An occasional paper on digital media and learning Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century Henry Jenkins, Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Katie Clinton Ravi Purushotma Alice J.
    [Show full text]
  • Information Technology Manager Is a Professional Technical Stand Alone Class
    CITY OF GRANTS PASS, OREGON CLASS SPECIFICATION FLSA Status : Exempt Bargaining Unit : Non-Bargaining INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Salary Grade : UD2 MANAGER CLASS SUMMARY: The Information Technology Manager is a Professional Technical Stand Alone class. Incumbents are responsible for management of specific applications, computer hardware and software, and development of systems based on detailed specifications. Incumbents apply a broad knowledge base of programming code to City issues and work with systems that link to multiple databases involving complex equations. Based upon assignment, incumbents may manage small information technology projects. The Information Technology Manager is responsible for the full range of supervisory duties including directing work, training and coaching, discipline, and performance evaluation. CORE COMPETENCIES: Integrity/Accountability: Conducts oneself in a manner that is ethical, trustworthy and professional; demonstrates transparency with honest, responsive communication; behaves in a manner that supports the needs of Council, the citizens and co-workers; and conducts oneself in manner that supports the vision and goals of the organization taking pride in being engaged in the community. Vision: Actively seeks to discover and create ways of doing things better using resources and skills in an imaginative and innovative manner; encourages others to find solutions and contributes, regardless of responsibilities, to achieve a common goal; and listens and is receptive to different ideas and opinions while solving problems. Leadership/United: Focuses on outstanding results of the betterment of the individual, the organization and the community; consistently seeks opportunities for coordination and collaboration, working together as a team; displays an ability to adjust as needed to accomplish the common goal and offers praise when a job is done well.
    [Show full text]
  • Program Statistics
    AN INTENSIVE, 4-WEEK ONLINE WORKSHOP DESIGNED TO ACCELERATE LEADERS WHO ARE CHANGE AGENTS FOR THE FUTURE. PROGRAM STATISTICS Only 2% of the enrolled students in Massive Online Courses complete the course. Smaller courses have a much better completion rate, but even the best typically lose half their students. More than 97% of each class of the altMBA successfully complete our 4 week intensive workshop. And every single one reports that the workshop exceeded their expectations, that it was the most intense and productive online engagement that they’ve ever experienced. The altMBA is now enrolling students for its fifth session. We’ve learned a lot from the hundreds of students who have trusted themselves enough to level up with us. About half of our students are rising managers and executives, many at well-known companies like Whole Foods, Lululemon and Microsoft. They’re finding an entirely new frontier, a place to discover skills that they didn’t know they had. This is where they leap from being employees to leaders. About a third of our students are founders, executives and successful freelancers. They’re used to being in charge but they’re not always practiced at being able to see what’s available, at being able to describe a future they are capable of creating. And the rest of our students are non-profit executives, explorers and ruckus makers. These brave souls are eager to engage with the possible, to explore avenues that don’t feel comfortable or easy, but turn out to be quite important. At our most recent Leadership Workshop, attendees came from 19 different time zones.
    [Show full text]
  • An Academic Discipline
    Information Technology – An Academic Discipline This document represents a summary of the following two publications defining Information Technology (IT) as an academic discipline. IT 2008: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Technology. (Nov. 2008). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and IEEE Computer Society. Computing Curricula 2005 Overview Report. (Sep. 2005). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Association for Information Systems (AIS), Computer Society (IEEE- CS). The full text of these reports with details on the model IT curriculum and further explanation of the computing disciplines and their commonalities/differences can be found online: http://www.acm.org/education/education/curricula-recommendations) From IT 2008: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Technology IT programs aim to provide IT graduates with the skills and knowledge to take on appropriate professional positions in Information Technology upon graduation and grow into leadership positions or pursue research or graduate studies in the field. Specifically, within five years of graduation a student should be able to: 1. Explain and apply appropriate information technologies and employ appropriate methodologies to help an individual or organization achieve its goals and objectives; 2. Function as a user advocate; 3. Manage the information technology resources of an individual or organization; 4. Anticipate the changing direction of information technology and evaluate and communicate the likely utility of new technologies to an individual or organization; 5. Understand and, in some cases, contribute to the scientific, mathematical and theoretical foundations on which information technologies are built; 6. Live and work as a contributing, well-rounded member of society. In item #2 above, it should be recognized that in many situations, "a user" is not a homogeneous entity.
    [Show full text]
  • Globalisation and Identity a Comparative Perspective
    01 transfer// 2 0 0 6 Manuel Castells Globalisation and identity A comparative perspective Globalisation and the strengthening of various cultural identities (religious, national, ethnic, geographic, and gender, among others) have occurred over the last fifteen years. In my view, this is no coincidence but rather the product of a systemic relationship between the two phenomena. 1. TWO SIMULTANEOUS PROCESSES It is not immediately because the idea has taken root that globalisation requires a global, cosmopolitan culture. Their are several variations on this theme. Some talk of unification and cultural homogenisation of the world and criticise the process. Others consider that globalisation will overcome local and historical identities, supercede some ideologies, and produce an undifferentiated universal human culture. I believe that both the quest for a new universal cultural to sweep away historical cultures is misguided, while fear that “Americanisation” will wipe out historically-based cultural identities is unfounded. This vision of economic development and globalisation is really no more than an extension of the two great rationalist movements providing the cultural and ideological foundations of the contemporary world —Liberalism and Marxism. Both schools of thought are based on a negation of historical, religious, and ethnic construction of identity, and stress new ideals (the Citizen of the World or Soviet Man, respectively). Each of these models has its own traits but they both coincide in considering any other distinction as artificial. I emphasise this because at the moment this is the dominant ideology in our society and in Europe as a whole. It is the rationalist approach, in both its Liberal and Marxist guises.
    [Show full text]
  • Crowdsourcing Metadata for Library and Museum Collections Using a Taxonomy of Flickr User Behavior
    CROWDSOURCING METADATA FOR LIBRARY AND MUSEUM COLLECTIONS USING A TAXONOMY OF FLICKR USER BEHAVIOR A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Evan Fay Earle January 2014 © 2014 Evan Fay Earle ABSTRACT Library and museum staff members are faced with having to create descriptions for large numbers of items found within collections. Immense collections and a shortage of staff time prevent the description of collections using metadata at the item level. Large collections of photographs may contain great scholarly and research value, but this information may only be found if items are described in detail. Without detailed descriptions, the items are much harder to find using standard web search techniques, which have become the norm for searching library and museum collection catalogs. To assist with metadata creation, institutions can attempt to reach out to the public and crowdsource descriptions. An example of crowdsourced description generation is the website, Flickr, where the entire user community can comment and add metadata information in the forms of tags to other users’ images. This paper discusses some of the problems with metadata creation and provides insight on ways in which crowdsourcing can benefit institutions. Through an analysis of tags and comments found on Flickr, behaviors are categorized to show a taxonomy of users. This information is used in conjunction with survey data in an effort to show if certain types of users have characteristics that are most beneficial to enhancing metadata in existing library and museum collections.
    [Show full text]
  • Reproductive Health Bill
    Reproductive Health Bill From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Intrauterine device (IUD): The Reproductive Health Bill provides for universal distribution of family planning devices, and its enforcement. The Reproductive Health bills, popularly known as the RH Bill , are Philippine bills aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. The bills have become the center of a contentious national debate. There are presently two bills with the same goals: House Bill No. 4244 or An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and For Other Purposes introduced by Albay 1st district Representative Edcel Lagman, and Senate Bill No. 2378 or An Act Providing For a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the Philippine government and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as condoms, birth control pills(BCPs) and IUDs, as the government continues to disseminate information on their use through all health care centers. The bill is highly divisive, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process. Debates and rallies for and against the bill, with tens of thousand participating, have been happening all over the country. Background The first time the Reproductive Health Bill was proposed was in 1998. During the present 15th Congress, the RH Bills filed are those authored by (1) House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman of Albay, HB 96; (2) Iloilo Rep.
    [Show full text]
  • Globalization, Communication, and Society Professor Manuel Castells Spring 2014 Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
    Globalization, Communication, and Society Professor Manuel Castells Spring 2014 Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism Comm 559 ASC 228 Mondays 3:30pm – 6:20pm (213) 821-2079 Office Hours by Appointment Tuesday 2 pm – 5 pm. Description of the course This is a graduate course focused on analyzing the relationship between multidimensional globalization, communication and social change. The analysis will highlight the economic, social, cultural, and political implications of globalization, and the specific influence of communication in the various dimensions of globalization. The approach will be comparative, and multicultural, and this will be reflected in the reading materials and in the lectures. Format of the Class This is a lecture and discussion class, meeting three hours per week in one weekly session. Each session will cover one theme, in chronological sequence, as per the syllabus of the course. Students will be encouraged to participate actively in the discussion. Students are expected to read required readings. Recommended readings will be helpful for a better understanding of each topic. Readings are organized specifically for each theme treated in the class. They are numbered in correspondence with the sequence of the lectures. Pre-requisites Graduate standing, no exceptions. Enrolment is limited to 25 students. First priority for enrolment is given to the students of the USC/LSE Master Program in Global Communication. Second priority is for graduate students in other programs of communication and journalism. Third priority is for students in sociology, planning, and international relations. Students should have the knowledge of history, geography, political economy, and world politics to be expected from a USC graduate student.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Reflections on Manuel Castells' Book Networks of Outrage And
    tripleC 10(2): 775-797, 2012 ISSN 1726-670X http://www.triple-c.at Some Reflections on Manuel Castells’ Book Networks of Outrage and Hope. Social Movements in the Internet Age. Christian Fuchs [email protected], http://fuchs.uti.at Abstract: This paper provides critical reflections on Manuel Castells’ (2012) book Networks of Outrage and Hope. Social Movements in the Internet Age that analyses the “nature and perspectives of networked social movements” (p. 4) and gives special focus to the role of “social media” in movements that emerged in 2011 in Tunisia, Iceland, Egypt, Spain and the United States. I situate Castells’ book in an intellectual discourse that focuses on the political implications of social media and that has involved Clay Shirky, Malcolm Gladwell and Evgeny Morozov. The article also discusses the role of social theory and empirical research in Castells’ book, presents as an alternative a theoretical model of the relationship between social movements and the media, discusses the implications that some empirical data that focus on social media in the Egyptian revolution and the Occupy Wall Street movement have for Castells’ approach, discusses how Castells positions himself to- wards capitalism and compares his explanation of the crisis and his political views to David Harvey’s ap- proach. Keywords: social movements, social media, Internet, protest, revolution, occupation, Arab spring, 15-M, in- dignadas, indignados, Occupy Wall Street, Manuel Castells, network, Networks of outrage and hope. Social movements in the Internet age. Section overview: 1. Introduction 2. Social Media and Politics: A Controversy between Clay Shirky, Malcolm Gladwell and Evgeny Morozov 3.
    [Show full text]