New Article Reveals Geographic Disparities in Digital Activism

Posted on by
Reply
New article out in Social Media + Society

Suay Özkula and I have published an article in Social Media + Society. Entitled ‘Where is the Global South? Northern Visibilities in Digital Activism Research’, this paper draws on the results of a review of 315 articles published between 1994 and 2018.

The abstract can be read below:

The seemingly global nature of English-language hashtags often obscures activism from outside the Global North (GN). This systematic review explores geographic representation in this field (N = 315 articles) through an investigation of case study location, author affiliation, methods of data collection and analysis, and researched social media platforms. The results show a preponderance of GN/Majority cases and non-region-specific social media groupings such as hashtag publics, particularly in research employing digital methods. As such, extant research in the field has disproportionately produced what we term Northern Visibilities—groups and movements based in GN countries (above all the United States) and platforms popular within them. We use the findings of the review to critically interrogate notions of the Global South in digital social research and provide recommendations for rectifying geopolitical underrepresentation and promoting more inclusive research practice.

Many thanks to the editors, reviewers, and the SM+S team for their help in getting this out. We would also like to thank Jenny Hayes for her earlier work on this project.

The article can be downloaded and read for free here.

Look out for further details on the study in the New Year!

New journal article: Tunisian Journalists and Climate Change Reporting

Posted on by
Reply

I have contributed to a new article out in African Journalism Studies this week. Led by Mokhtar Elareshi and Samar Ben Romdhane (University of Sharjah), we examined how Tunisian journalists report on climate change. The interview-based study (n=7) explores challenges like online disinformation and instability within government that shape their climate journalism. We argue that youth-led climate activism enables these journalists to amplify diverse voices and advocate for marginalised communities.

Thanks to Mukhtar for his leadership on this and the reviewers at AJS for their constructive feedback. The article can be read in full here.

Elon Musk’s X: Interviewed for Dazed article on Social Media Exodus

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Mati Mango on Pexels.com

Earlier this week, I spoke to Thom Waite. It was for a Dazed article on the role of Elon Musk’s X. The focus was during the recent US Presidential Election. We discussed whether the recent exodus from X will continue. We also explored reasons why people would choose to stay on the microblogging site.

Many thanks to Thom for the invitation. The article can be read in full here.

BBC Interview: AI vs Human Moderators

Posted on by
Reply
BBC Breakfast interview on social media content moderation

This week I was interviewed by BBC Tech editor Zoe Kleinman. It was for a piece on the human cost of social media content moderation. We discussed whether it was possible for AI to replicate the job done by human moderators. I argued that human moderation was necessary, but that these jobs are very harmful to those who do them.

The clip can be viewed below.

I also contributed to this article exploring the human costs of moderating traumatic images and videos.

Many thanks to Zoe, Georgina and the BBC crew for the chat, and to Charlotte Morris for helping organise this.

Why Social Media Misrepresents Public Sentiment

Posted on by
Reply

I have written an essay for the Glasgow Social Sciences Hub. My essay discusses why social media is an unreliable barometer of public opinion. I argue that bot activity and manipulation gave US voters a skewed reality. This happened in the run-up to the 2024 US Presidential Election. I also point to the problem of information pollution and how citizens actively avoid news on these platforms.

Thanks to Charlotte Morris for the support in getting this out. The piece can be read in full here.

Paper at AoIR annual conference, University of Sheffield

Posted on by
Reply
AoIR2024, Sheffield

This week marks the annual Association of Internet Researchers annual conference, held at the University of Sheffield (30 October-2 November).

My paper, co-authored with Suay Özkula, draws on our systematic review of empirical Digital Activism research between 2011 and 2018. We focus on how activists and social movements within the so-called Global South are represented within the field.

The abstract can be read in full here.

If you are at the conference this week please do say hello to Suay – looks like a great programme!

France 24 interview on how neo-nazis exploit disasters for misinformation

Posted on by
Reply
Donald Trump criticised for spreading misinformation about Hurricane Hélène

Last week I spoke to Sebastian Seibt from France 24. We talked about how neo-Nazi groups were using Hurricane Hélène. They aimed to show themselves as civil society actors, amplifying misinformation and conspiracy theories about the relief efforts favouring migrants.

I argued that the misinformation spread by US Presidential candidate Donald Trump was very damaging. His false claims about the Biden administration not supporting victims influenced the behavior of vulnerable citizens. They were more likely to turn to extremist groups like Patriotic Front for information and support than the authorities. In effect, they exploited this crisis to rebrand themselves as legitimate, credible actors.

Many thanks to Sebastian for the invitation. 

The article can be read (in French) here.

Interviewed for Reuters news article on British police removing Twitter/X accounts

Posted on by
Reply

Last week, Andy Bruce interviewed me. This was for a Reuters piece on the number of British police forces deciding to remove their Twitter/X accounts. I argued that the rise of hate speech, extremist content, and misinformation was a major factor. This led public organisations to leave the microblogging site for other platforms.

Thanks to Andy and Charlotte Morris for the invite. The article can be read in full here.

Presenting two papers at 10th European Communication Conference, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Posted on by
Reply
10th ECREA ECC, Ljulbljana, 24-27 September

This week I am presenting two papers at ECREA’s 10th European Communication Conference, held at the University of Ljubljana (24-27 September).

My first paper is entitled ‘Watching over the watchers? Ethical dilemmas in qualitative studies of sousveillance on YouTube. Drawing on my previous work on ‘The Battle of Stokes Croft‘ and the union flag protests, I critique the notion that unaware participants are ‘fair game’ in online research. The abstract can be read in full here.

My second paper, co-authored with Suay Özkula, draws on our systematic review of empirical Digital Activism research between 2011 and 2018. We focus on how activists and social movements within the so-called Global South are represented within the field. The abstract can be read in full here.

If you are at the conference this week please do say hi – looks like a great programme!

Publication: entry on Belief Echoes in forthcoming Encyclopedia of Political Communication

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

I am delighted to share a preprint copy of my entry in the forthcoming Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication, to be published in 2025.

In ‘Belief Echoes’, I explore how and why people continue to believe false information even when it has been debunked or factchecked. I draw on examples from my own research on Northern Ireland and the COVID-19 pandemic to show how there is often a small proportion of the population who continue to remain within epistemic bunkers revolving around misinformation and half-truths.

Many thanks to the editors (Alessandro Nai, Max Grömping, and Dominique Wirz) for all their work bringing together the 430+ entries (from 570+ authors) in the Encyclopedia. I look forward to reading the final version when it’s out early next year.

The preprint version of my entry can be read here.