"Digital media histories are part of a global network, and South Asia is a key nexus in shaping the trajectory of digital media in the twenty-first century. Digital platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and others are deeply embedded in the daily lives of millions of people around the world, shaping ho
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w people engage with others as kin, as citizens, and as consumers. Moving away from Anglo-American and strictly national frameworks, the essays in this book explore the intersections of local, national, regional, and global forces that shape contemporary digital culture(s) in regions like South Asia: the rise of digital and mobile media technologies, the ongoing transformation of established media industries, and emergent forms of digital media practice and use that are reconfiguring sociocultural, political, and economic terrains across the Indian subcontinent. From massive state-driven digital identity projects and YouTube censorship to Tinder and dating culture, from Twitter and primetime television to Facebook and political rumors, Global Digital Cultures focuses on enduring concerns of representation, identity, and power while grappling with algorithmic curation and data-driven processes of production, circulation, and consumption." (Publisher description)
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"The innovative research in Video Games and the Global South focuses on a range of topics including art games and serious games from the global south, postcolonialism and cultural representation, player communities, software modification (modding), intercultural communication online, racism and sexi
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sm in game culture, the global growth of eSports, social media use in relation to gaming and the use of games to connect users and communities across the globe. Some fifteen years ago, Uruguayan theorist and game developer Gonzalo Frasca spoke of the possibility of creating “video games of the oppressed,” using the medium as a tool for education, socio-political awareness and consciousness-raising. In short, Frasca advocated for the appropriation of the means of game production by actors in the global south, and the repurposing of these technologies in ways that would benefit the region’s inhabitants. A decade and a half later, we can see that many gamers and game developers from across the global south have taken up this challenge, contributing to game cultures and creating games that respond to the obstacles and affordances of their particular geographical, socioeconomic, political and cultural contexts. Video Games and the Global South brings together perspectives from a range of disciplines, critical methodologies and theoretical approaches. Together, the 20 contributing essays advance the critical methodology for analyzing the relationship between games and culture, as well as historically contextualized insight into the cultural impact of video games and the development of games and game cultures across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, the Indian subcontinent, Oceania and Asia." (Publisher description)
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"The 2018 general election represented one of the first times digital disinformation occurred on a massive scale in Pakistan. This report examines different forms of disinformation that circulated online in the lead up to the 2018 elections and its impact on the country’s political discourse, and
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considers methods to counter disinformation in Pakistan and elsewhere. Ultimately, combating this growing problem will require a variety of stakeholders to work toward a multi-pronged, collaborative response. Around 65 percent of Pakistanis aged 16-34 consume news through the internet. The rapid spread of disinformation online enables an arsenal of falsities, then used by individuals or groups to target a political candidate. Setting the record straight once disinformation begins circulating online is incredibly hard to do." (Key findings)
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"Transnational Media: Concepts and Cases provides a clear and engaging overview of media communication from a global and a region-based perspective. Rather than focusing on just complex theories and industry-specific analyses, this unique book offers an inclusive, comparative approach to both journa
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lism and entertainment media--introducing readers to the essential concepts, systems, transnational influences, and power dynamics that shape global media flow. Broad coverage of different media forms from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania offers country-based and transnational perspectives while highlighting examples of media trends in television, radio, film, journalism, social media, music, and others." (Publisher description)
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"This report describes and analyses how online propaganda against journalists across the world - through hate, harassment, threats and fabricated news – undermines independent reporting, sows doubt among the public and makes journalists, in particular female journalists, open for online attacks an
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d physical abuse to the detriment of freedom of expression and open, democratic societies. To stem the tidal wave of mostly anonymous online propaganda against journalists, in particularly female journalists across the world who are exposed to unacceptable amounts of online sexual abuse, Fojo Media Institute, the publisher of this report, plans to set up #journodefender, a global hub to monitor, investigate and take action against the-ends-justifies-the-means trolling with particular focus on assisting journalism in countries that are particularly badly affected." (Prologue)
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"Afghan journalists have been experiencing a deteriorating situation, due to a multitude of threats. They operate in a situation of low popular literacy, as well as low media literacy. Threats from Taliban and other insurgents cause many journalists to live in constant fear. This article is based on
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interviews with 28 Afghan journalists. They report that they are less willing to take risks than before, their editors even less so. Routines are far from always in place in media institutions, and quite a few journalists have not received necessary security equipment. Almost all report experiencing post-traumatic stress syndrome, some have even experienced physical harm. We conclude by stating that Afghan journalists are caught in a balancing act, facing powerful violent insurgents, oppressive authorities and media owners." (Abstract)
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"In international conflict correspondence safety mechanisms are unequally employed to protect local news-staffs in contrast to international staffs. Arguably, this has had the greatest impact on image production from war zones, exposing local photojournalists to increased dangers. But it also raises
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the possibility that local photographers from conflict-torn countries may represent conflicts to international audiences differently than do international photographers. This possibility is explored in this study using the case of Afghanistan. Based on photojournalists’ perceptions and comparisons of international and locally produced images, we explore potential effects of the shifting reliance on local rather than international photojournalists on how distant wars come to be pictured to international audiences. This study advances an argument for giving increased protection to local photojournalists in conflict zones." (Abstract)
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"Pakistan has been declared as most dangerous country for media professionals all over the world, like, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is the riskiest place due to militancy and insurgency. For this purpose, this research has been conducted to investigate the phenomenon. The research has been conducted thr
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ough quantitative methodology, while survey technique was used for data collection. Questionnaire was used as data collection tool, while data was collected by simple random sampling method from three main press clubs of Peshawar, Swat and Charsadda districts of KP. The results revealed that most of media professionals have lack of personal and family awareness due to the lack of training and proper knowledge about crisis and conflict zones coverage. Results of correlation test significant value of .000, in regression analysis the value of R is 0.194 which shows the capacity of relationship and ANOVA analysis significant value 0.000 confirmed that there is strong relationship amid awareness of personal and family security in crisis reporting and performance of journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan." (Abstract)
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"Pakistan’s journalists confront fatal safety risks in the line of their duty and are at the mercy of various types of pressure and extremist groups that threaten, kidnap and even murder them with almost total impunity. Despite the growing violence against journalists in Pakistan, there is a deart
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h of national academic studies that offer insights into threats to journalists’ safety and the country’s rampant culture of impunity. Therefore, using the system theory, this study explores Pakistan’s issues of impunity and threats to journalists’ safety in conflict and non-conflict situations. The study also analyses the country’s laws for the protection of journalists’ rights to freedom of expression, access to information, online and offline safety, fair trial and equal pay-scales. In addition, the study unpacks the journalists’ lived experiences of safety risks in Pakistan and their perceptions regarding the country’s culture of impunity. To achieve these objectives, this study uses the qualitative methods of document review and indepth interviews (face-to-face). Moreover, the study uses thematic analysis to analyse the gathered data." (Abstract)
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"This study aims to measure the level of digital security awareness of journalists in Turkey who use digital technology in the course of their work. In the study, research questions are answered using data collected by means of an online survey in relation to the digital security risks faced, the ex
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tent to which digital technology is used, the digital security tools employed and the extent of digital security training undertaken. The study reveals that journalists in Turkey are faced with security issues ranging from personal threats to physical and digital attacks and that they rely heavily on digital technology. The study concludes that they lack awareness of digital security risks, and only a small percentage have undertaken safety training to protect themselves and their sources in either the physical or digital worlds." (Abstract)
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"The main objective of the study is to analyze the framing of Afghan refugees in print media of Pakistan and attempts to generate a substantial body of information about the role of Pakistani media in this regard and presents the issues and problems of afghan refugees after the operation of Zarb-e-
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Azb and attempts to investigate and compare the policies of leading English print of Pakistan after the incident of APS attack. Quantitative methodology has been opted and content analysis is used as research method. Under the umbrella of framing theory the study concludes that the national security of the state was of prime importance for the media while the problems and issues of Afghan refugees were of least concern. Further, the government policies for Afghan refugees regarding visa facilitation, registration, legal issues, border management crises, educational and health policies were highlighted in media." (Abstract)
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"Over the past few years, internet access and adoption in India has grown tremendously, giving Indians more access to the online information ecosystem than ever before. Today, India is one of the largest markets for technology platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. However, the adoption of these t
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echnology platforms has also enabled misinformation and disinformation to spread at scale in the country. This has resulted in the eruption of violence and even the deaths of dozens of people. This policy brief explores the false information ecosystem in India, highlighting the key players and approaches they have implemented to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation. It also offers a set of recommendations for how these efforts can be improved going forward." (Abstract)
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"Powerful countries use foreign media broadcasts to enhance their soft power, yet there is scant empirical evidence as to whether such efforts actually sway public opinion abroad. Moreover, researchers have not specified conditions that may shape variations in the influence of foreign broadcasts and
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internet. We propose a theory that predicts, respectively, opinionformation and issue-framing effects of foreign broadcasts as functions of the pervasiveness and familiarity of the issues they cover. We test our hypotheses by examining the potential effects of exposure to Russia-sourced broadcasts on views of Russia and other foreign policy issues in Kyrgyzstan, a most likely case of foreign media effects. Using an original, nationally representative survey conducted in Kyrgyzstan in 2015, we find that the influence of Russian media on Kyrgyzstani opinions varies according to the pervasiveness and familiarity of the issues at stake and is more limited than traditionally believed. The modest and conditional effects of foreign media in this particularly favorable environment cast doubt on the assumption that media are a soft-power tool “par excellence” and call for further research on how media can be used effectively for public diplomacy." (Introduction)
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"Three years after writing the report Publishing for Peanuts, in which we surveyed 35 media startups mostly from the Global South, we decided to go back and see how the outlets had fared. Our area of interest in 2015 was small-to-medium size independent media outlets with a track record of consisten
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tly producing credible content independently of state and mainstream media in the countries in which they were operating. ‘Startup’ describes their work practices but, in fact, some of those we interviewed had been in operation for many years but may have undergone a relaunch or adapted to new circumstances following a political event. Those “Global Muckraker” outlets remained our focus in 2018. As questions about media viability remain unanswered we wanted to understand the experiences of journalists in the Global South. Returning to the 35 outlets, we found three had failed, and six had been seriously reconfigured or renamed [...] Our key findings: Financial survival is the biggest worry for the media outlets we profiled, followed by political risk and physical safety. The outlets remain dependent on donors. Advertising is hard to come by and raising funding from audiences has proven difficult. Donors need to accept this reality and be willing to commit to long-term support for outlets creating a public good. The grim political climate, rise of right-wing demagogues and attacks on the media have made the outlets feel appreciated in many countries. They recounted tales of support and encouragement from their audiences. But this sentiment does not translate into sustainable forms of funding. The outlets have professionalized in the sense that many now have accounting software, bookkeepers and full-time staff working on grant writing. But many still rely on unpaid contributors and some use office space that was provided for free or rented at a discount. There is a strong correlation between employing a full-time marketing staffer and generating revenue ..." (Executive summary)
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"Der ‚Christian Patriot. A Journal of Social and Religious Progress‘ existierte von 1890 bis 1929 und verstand sich als „Sprachrohr“ der indisch-protestantischen Gemeinschaft Südindiens. Das Blatt befand sich in „alleinigem“ Besitz indischer Christen. Als solches eröffnet es ganz neue
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Perspektiven auf die indische und globale Christentumsgeschichte. Das Journal grenzte sich sowohl vom Paternalismus der euroamerikanischen Missionare wie von hindu-fundamentalistischen Tendenzen in der indischen Nationalbewegung ab. Dabei war es bestrebt, der Stimme indischer Christen als eigenständiger Größe in der kolonialen Öffentlichkeit des Landes Gehör zu verschaffen. Zugleich werden im Spiegel des ‚Christian Patriot‘ transregionale Netzwerke indigen-christlicher Eliten in Asien und anderen Regionen und Kolonialgesellschaften sichtbar. Diese tragen zu einem neuen Verständnis christlicher Globalität um 1910 bei." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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