"Digital technologies have changed the public arena, but there is little scholarly consensus about how they have done so. This Element lays out a new framework for the digitally mediated public arena by identifying structural changes and continuities with the pre-digital era. It examines three count
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ry cases - the United States, Germany, and China. In these countries and elsewhere, the emergence of new infrastructures such as search engines and social media platforms increasingly mediate and govern the visibility and reach of information, and thus reconfigure the transmission belt between citizens and political elites. This shift requires a rethinking of the workings and dysfunctions of the contemporary public arena and ways to improve it." (Publisher description)
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"This book explores the challenges that disinformation, fake news, and post-truth politics pose to democracy from a multidisciplinary perspective. The authors analyse and interpret how the use of technology and social media as well as the emergence of new political narratives has been progressively
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changing the information landscape, undermining some of the pillars of democracy. The volume sheds light on some topical questions connected to fake news, thereby contributing to a fuller understanding of its impact on democracy. In the Introduction, the editors offer some orientating definitions of post-truth politics, building a theoretical framework where various different aspects of fake news can be understood. The book is then divided into three parts: Part I helps to contextualise the phenomena investigated, offering definitions and discussing key concepts as well as aspects linked to the manipulation of information systems, especially considering its reverberation on democracy. Part II considers the phenomena of disinformation, fake news, and post-truth politics in the context of Russia, which emerges as a laboratory where the phases of creation and diffusion of fake news can be broken down and analysed; consequently, Part II also reflects on the ways to counteract disinformation and fake news. Part III moves from case studies in Western and Central Europe to reflect on the methodological difficulty of investigating disinformation, as well as tackling the very delicate question of detection, combat, and prevention of fake news." (Publisher description)
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"This book features pathbreaking analysis from journalists and academics of the changing nature and peril of media capture - how formerly independent institutions fall under the sway of governments, plutocrats, and corporations. Contributors including Emily Bell, Felix Salmon, Joshua Marshall, Joel
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Simon, and Nikki Usher analyze diverse cases of media capture worldwide, many drawn from firsthand experience. They examine the role played by new media companies and funders, showing how the confluence of the growth of big tech and falling revenues for legacy media has led to new forms of control. Contributions also shed light on how the rise of right-wing populists has catalyzed the crisis of global media. They also chart a way forward, exploring the growing need for a policy response and sustainable models for public-interest investigative journalism." (Publisher description)
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"Verständnis der technischen und kulturellen Besonderheiten der algorithmusgetriebenen App, die vorhandene Bestandteile bereits bekannter Social-Media-Plattformen kombiniert und weiterentwickelt. Statt Reichweitenaufbau geht es bei TikTok um Vertrauensaufbau. Mithilfe eines Analyserasters werden im
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Folgenden die Möglichkeiten und Bedingungen der Plattform anhand ihrer Gestaltungselemente identifiziert und erklärt. Es wird mittels qualitativer Beobachtung exemplarisch gezeigt, wie deutsche Politiker*innen die App bereits erfolgreich nutzen und wo dies misslingt. Ein Überblick der deutschsprachigen linken Öffentlichkeit bei TikTok zeigt die Vielgestaltigkeit der Themen und Akteur*innen. Daraus werden konkrete Handlungsempfehlungen abgeleitet, die auf Interaktion, Dialog und dem Beherrschen jeweils aktueller Kulturtechniken beruhen – von der Wahl des richtigen Emojis bis zur Verwendung eines geschickt eingesetzten Zooms im Bild. In Anbetracht einer fehlenden One-size-fits-all-Lösung empfehlen wir die Ausgestaltung eines digitalen Werkzeugkastens, der neben einem gut sortierten und stets aktuellen Instrumentarium auf das geschickte Bedienen der Werkzeuge setzt." (Zusammenfassung, Seite 6)
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"The book begins by interrogating globalization as a critical and intensely contested concept, and proceeds to explore how digital media have influenced a complex set of globalization processes in broad international and comparative contexts. Contributors address a number of key political, economic,
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cultural, and technological issues relative to globalization, such as free trade agreements, cultural imperialism, heterogeneity, the increasing dominance of American digital media in global cultural markets, the powers of the nation-state, and global corporate media ownership. By extension, readers are introduced to core theoretical concepts and practical ideas, which they can apply to a broad range of contemporary media policies, practices, movements, and technologies in different geographic regions of the world-North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. (Publisher description)
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"The book has covered a wide range of topics within a specific area of mobile journalism. It presents the case studies and first-hand experiences from different parts of the country. As the chapters are written by the academicians, proessionals and practitioners, it has an appropriate blend of theor
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etical and practical aspects of mobile jornalism. It is a pioneering work in the are of mobile journalism and mobile film making." (Foreword, page 6)
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"The Chinese state has demonstrated a propensity for controlling and shaping the information environment of the Chinese diaspora—including via WeChat. The meteoric growth of TikTok has now put the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a position from which it can shape the information environment on a
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largely non-Chinese-speaking platform—with the help of the highest valued start-up in the world and its opaque advanced AI-powered algorithm. Chinese party-state leverage over these companies is considerable, is exercised internally via CCP committees and is enforced by a suite of cybersecurity and intelligence laws. As Chinese companies, Tencent and ByteDance are not only required to participate in intelligence work, but they’re also legally mandated to promote CCP propaganda. China’s censorship and propaganda apparatus is a responsibility that’s pushed down to media and technology companies such as Tencent and ByteDance. As Chinese companies, they’re obligated to comply with strict government regulations on what content is allowed to be published on their platforms, and they both invest heavily in automated systems for content filtering and human curation. The demands of the PRC’s surveillance and propaganda apparatus on these technology companies are such that, at least in the case of WeChat, they’re even prepared to surveil the foreign users of their apps in order to better train the censorship algorithms used on Chinese citizens within the PRC." (Conclusion, page 47)
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"Jeder, der sich in irgendeiner Form mit digitalen Medien beschäftigt, lebt in einer paradoxen Welt: Denn zu keinem Feld existieren mehr Daten, Informationen und Statistiken. Aber zugleich handelt es sich stets um isolierte, winzige Partikel und Fragmente, die sich nicht integrieren lassen. Das Pro
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blem ist: Wir verstehen die Zusammenhänge nicht. Wir sehen den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht mehr. Es existiert bis heute keine zusammenhängende, ganzheitliche Darstellung digitaler Medien auf Grundlage ein und derselben Datenbasis – geschweige denn über die Nutzungszusammenhänge der verschiedenen Endgerätekategorien (Desk- bzw Laptop, Smartphone, Tablet). Der Atlas der digitalen Welt liefert erstmals einen allgemeinen Referenzrahmen, der alle unterschiedlichen digitalen Angebote (z. B. Facebook, WhatsApp, Google etc.), Aktivitäten (z. B. Konsum von Content, Shopping, Search, Social Media, etc.), die verschiedenen Endgerätekategorien (Desktop, Smartphone, Tablet) und die unterschiedlichen Nutzerprofile in einer 360° Darstellung abbildet. Diese Darstellung wurde ermöglicht durch die Auswertung des GfK CrossMedia Link Panels, welches die reale Mediennutzung von 16.000 Personen in Deutschland erfasst (es handelt sich hier also nicht um Ergebnisse von Befragungen, sondern um echtes Nutzungsverhalten). Diese Daten werden der Öffentlichkeit hier erstmals zugänglich gemacht. Die Zusammenhänge werden übersichtlich aufbereitet und durch anschauliche Infografiken illustriert, so dass die Inhalte für jedermann verständlich und zugänglich sind." (https://atlasderdigitalenwelt.de)
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"Content moderation—the process of deciding what stays online and what gets taken down— is an indispensable aspect of the social media industry. Without it, online platforms would be inundated not just by spam, but by personal bullying, neo-Nazi screeds, terrorist beheadings, and child sexual ab
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use. Despite the centrality of content moderation, however, major social media companies have marginalized the people who do this work, outsourcing the vast majority of it to third-party vendors [...] Examples include custome-help centers in the Philippines, digital device factories in China, and clothing-production facilities in Bangladesh. Outsourcing is not inherently detrimental—if workers are paid fairly and treated humanely. A central question raised by outsourcing, in whatever industry it occurs, is whether it leads to worker exploitation. In social media, there’s an additional concern about whether outsourcing jeopardizes optimal performance of a critical function." (Executive summary)
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"The Forum on Information & Democracy proposes a number of policy steps to democratic governments and their supporters. Transparency and accountability need to be shored up and content moderation should be done according to democratic mandates and oversight. The impact of new platforms where disinfo
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rmation can go viral, such as private messenger services, needs to be understood. Through a global democratic coalition, a meaningful alternative should be offered instead of the two dominant models of technology governance: the privatized and the authoritarian. Through the intergovernmental Partnership on Information & Democracy, democratic leaders recognize the information and communication space as a ‘public good’. Now they have to implement their commitments in policies on the national and international level. Our recommendations are designed to shape and support their policy agenda." (Foreword, page 13)
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"Twitter is still not doing enough to protect women from online violence and abuse. Since the release of Toxic Twitter in 2018, Amnesty International has continued to highlight the scale of abuse women face on Twitter, including in Argentina, India, the UK and the US. Meanwhile, women have continued
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to speak out about the abuse they experience on Twitter, and the company’s failure to adequately respond. The persistent abuse women face on the platform undermines their right to express themselves equally, freely and without fear. This abuse is highly intersectional, women from ethnic or religious minorities, marginalized castes, lesbian, bisexual or transgender women - as well as non-binary individuals – and women with disabilities are targets for abuse. Although the company has made some welcome progress, the Twitter Scorecard shows how much remains to be done. The purpose of the Scorecard is not only to track Twitter’s progress, but also to provide concrete recommendations on steps that Twitter should take to address this issue. Of the ten recommendations below, Twitter has, to date, only fully implemented a single one. Using this Scorecard, we will continue to track Twitter’s progress on this critical issue going forward." (Conclusion)
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"The digital divide in rural areas is an important social issue, especially in developing countries. Although Internet and broadband penetration have increased in the world generally, there are many obstacles for rural China to get access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and its ser
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vices. The mobile platform is regarded as a novel and effective tool to reduce the digital divide. Based on a case of one mobile platform, namely WeCountry in Chinese rural areas, this study illustrates how a mobile platform bridges the digital divide and helps rural areas achieve social inclusion. Results show that: (1) the mobile platform mainly acts on the digital capability divide elimination, and it has to guide and increase users’ usage capability; (2) the mobile platform can empower villagers in structural, psychological, and resource dimensions, achieving political inclusion, social participation inclusion, and economic inclusion; (3) platform providers and government are key organizations during the divide elimination process. This paper concludes with theoretical and practical implications." (Abstract)
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"Paul Nemitz und Matthias Pfeffer zeigen eindrücklich, wie die derzeitigen Versuche ethischer Regulierung von Künstlicher Intelligenz zu kurz greifen. Nemitz ist Mitglied der Datenethikkommission der Bundesregierung und war massgeblich verantwortlich für die Einführung der EU-Datenschutzgrundver
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ordnung. Pfeffer beschäftigt sich als freier TV-Journalist und Produzent mit dem Thema Künstliche Intelligenz. Die Autoren bieten eine genaue Analyse und legen dabei den Schwerpunkt auf die Rolle der Öffentlichkeit und die Gefährdung des Journalismus in digitalen Zeiten. Sie fordern die strikte Regulierung Künstlicher Intelligenz und eine Neubesinnung auf das Prinzip Mensch, das gegen das Prinzip Maschine verteidigt werden muss. Ihr Buch schließt mit klaren Handlungsempfehlungen an Politik, Zivilgesellschaft und insbesondere an die technische Intelligenz." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Myanmar was originally portrayed as an internet success story. Connected in a matter of months after five decades of military dictatorship, Myanmar people were supposed to be able to communicate freely, access unimpeded information online, experience the benefits of a range of compelling and empowe
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ring digital services, and connect with the world. While social media opened up the country’s information and communication ecosystem in an unprecedented way, it also came with its share of challenges. Low levels of digital and media literacy, amidst a context of political transition, dominated by rising inter-communal tensions and the formalisation of a Buddhist nationalist movement, made for a dangerous cocktail. Facebook, which came to dominate the Myanmar internet ecosystem, failed to acknowledge and effectively mitigate the risks, letting its platform get abused and weaponised. This case study looks at the role of Facebook in fomenting violence in Myanmar. It explores how the social media platform was weaponised, reviews Facebook’s response to the situation, and draws learnings and recommendations for how risks may be better mitigated, moving forward." (Introduction)
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"This knowledge brief showcases RNW Media's experience with online community moderation. It explains what community moderation means, why we believe it is an essential component of our Citizens' Voice programme, and the strategies we have developed together with our moderators to guide them in the w
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ork they do and the decisions they need to make. Also, we present results from research that we conducted on three of our communities to test the effectiveness of our approach. Lastly, our moderators working in Burundi, DRC and Mali share their experience and insights, showing how moderation goes in practice. They talk about the secret of being a good moderator and share the challenges they experience in their daily work. Citizens' Voice is active in Burundi, China, DRC, Egypt, Libya, Mali and Yemen and focuses on social cohesion and inclusive governance. Applying a user-centred approach and persuasive storytelling, Citizens' Voice creates and maintains digital platforms offering safe spaces where young women and men from across political, ethnic, racial, regional or religious divides can come together in a way which is often impossible in the offline space. In-country teams create multi-media content relevant to the local context to attract and engage young people via a variety of digital channels. Through moderated discussions, they encourage disparate groups to voice their opinions on issues of common interest both online and offline. To achieve impact, Citizens' Voice aims to engage the broadest possible spectrum of stakeholders at all levels." (Introduction)
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"Asociada en sus comienzos a un movimiento libertario horizontal y cooperativo, la Red de redes está siendo cooptada por las grandes corporaciones del capitalismo global y convirtiéndose en un peligroso dispositivo de vigilancia ciudadana. Un proceso que la disrupción provocada por la pandemia de
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l coronavirus ha acelerado bruscamente. A través del análisis de destacados intelectuales, apoyado en un amplio despliegue de mapas, gráficos, infografías y cronologías, 'El Atlas de la revolución digital' constituye un aporte a la comprensión de las vertiginosas mutaciones que están cambiando el mundo tal como lo conocíamos. Una herramienta para reflexionar sobre los alcances de la revolución digital y recuperar el control sobre las tecnologías que se están apoderando de nuestras vidas." (Cubierta del libro)
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