C4D Network

Global community of professionals working in Communication for Development

Advanced Search
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Community
  • Recruiting
  • Consulting
  • Capacity
  • .
    • Consultancy
      • Network Community
        • Members
        • Country Chapters
    • Learning
      • C4D Know-How
      • C4D in Action
      • Learning Resources
      • C4D Development Topics
    • Service Providers
    • News & Events
      • Newsfeed
      • Events
      • Opportunities

State of Social Media: Middle East 2018 (University of Oregon, 2019)

February 11, 2019

This report is the seventh in an annual series of publications showcasing the latest developments, trends and research in social media usage across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Using a wide variety of academic, industry and media sources, this White Paper features key insights from social media’s development over the previous year. Notable trends from the past year include the continued popularity of Facebook and Facebook-owned products, especially with Arab Youth, as well as increasing challenges to online freedom of expression in many parts of the region. Saudi Arabia continues to be a social media powerhouse, being one of the biggest national markets for Snapchat and YouTube in the world.

Meanwhile, the rise of social media influencers has met with some pushback; from regulation in UAE, to more tragic and threatening responses in Iraq. This report explores these developments, as well as emerging questions about the rise of fake news on social media, and the role that social networks are playing in Yemen’s civil war.

Click here for full report via SlideShare.

Filed Under: *REGION: Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ICT4D (Information Communication Technologies for Development), REGIONS, Saudi Arabia, Social Media, United Arab Emirates, Yemen Tagged With: Facebook, Fake News, Snapchat, WhatsApp, YouTube

Anti-refugee Mobilization in Social Media: The Case of Soldiers of Odin (Social Media + Society article, 2018)

February 6, 2019

Article abstract: In the wake of the international refugee crisis, racist attitudes are becoming more publicly evident across the European Union. Propelled by the attacks in Köln on New Year’s Eve 2015 and harsher public sentiments on immigration, vigilante gangs have emerged in various European cities. These gangs mobilize through social media networks and claim to protect citizens from alleged violent and sexual attacks by refugees. This article analyzes how racist actors use social media to mobilize and organize street politics targeting refugees/immigrants. The aim is to explore the relation between social media and anti-refugee mobilization in a time of perceived insecurity and forced migration. The study uses the vigilante network Soldiers of Odin as a specific case, looking at (1) how they communicate through social media, (2) how they are represented in the large “alternative” space of right-wing online sites, and (3) how they are represented in traditional mainstream news. Using a critical adaption of Cammaerts’ theory of “mediation opportunity structure,” the article explicates the (inverted) rationale of racist online networks. Using quantitative and qualitative content analysis, both social media content and traditional news media are examined. The results show that although racist actors succeed in utilizing many of the opportunities embedded in social media communication and protest logic, they are also subject to constraints, such as a lack of public support and negative framing in news media. The article calls for more research on the (critical) relationship between uncivil engagement and social media networks.

Click here to view the full article.

Filed Under: Migration, Refugees and IDPs, Research Papers, Social Media, Social Mobilisation, Sweden Tagged With: Facebook, Far-right

Myanmar’s media from an audience perspective ( IMS-Fojo, 2018)

November 5, 2018

This publication presents the findings from an audience study carried out by International Media Support (IMS), its partner institution Fojo Media Institute and Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMRef) in May 2018. The report provides indications of the media habits of the population of Myanmar as well as people’s understanding of news and information flows.

The study found that there is a widespread preference towards local media as people feel that these media outlets provide them with information relevant to their local communities and daily lives. Television is a preferred medium for consuming news but social media, and Facebook, in particular, is catching up. A culture of sharing news and information ensures that even people without access to Facebook know of the platform and get updates through friends and family.

People’s trust in media differs but with many preferring state-owned media to deliver trustworthy and reliable news and information. Some news consumers showcase a natural scepticism towards news and information, but limited access to reliable information makes it difficult for them to verify what they read, see or hear.

Based on the findings, the report ends with 12 recommendations. Six are directed towards the Myanmar media industry, journalists and other content
producers while the remaining six are targeted at media development organizations and learning institutions. IMS-Fojo hopes that these recommendations can serve as inspiration for the continuous development and professionalization of the media in Myanmar.

Click here for full report.

Filed Under: *MASS MEDIA ROUTES, Media Development, Myanmar, Publications (published in print and/or online), Social Media Tagged With: Facebook, Journalism

Fanning the Flames of Hate: Social Media and Hate Crime (Oxford, UK)

October 24, 2018

The Oxford Internet Institute will host Carlo Schwarz from the University of Warwick for the talk ‘Fanning the Flames of Hate: Social Media and Hate Crime’.

About the Talk

The presentation will focus on joint research by Carlo Schwarz and Karsten Müller that investigates the link between social media and hate crime using Facebook data.

For example, Germany, where the recently emerged right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has developed a major social media presence and where research shows that right-wing anti-refugee sentiment on Facebook predicts violent crimes against refugees in municipalities with higher social media usage.

In another study, research found suggestive evidence that a similar mechanism might be at work in the US during the presidential campaign of Donald Trump with a rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes since Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has been concentrated in counties with high Twitter usage. In the time series, Trump’s Tweets on Islam-related topics are highly correlated with anti-Muslim hate crime after, but not before his presidential campaign, and are uncorrelated with other hate crimes.

About the Speaker

Carlo Schwarz is a PhD student at the University of Warwick. His research interests are in the field of applied microeconomics and political economy, with a focus on text analysis and machine learning. After graduating from the University of Mannheim, Carlo joined the 2+4 MRes/PhD program at the University of Warwick. His recent research focused on the adverse effects of social media, in particular the transmission of hateful sentiment against minorities.

Click here to register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fanning-the-flames-of-hate-social-media-and-hate-crime-tickets-50524867238

Tagged With: Facebook, Social Media

Can big data be used for evaluation? A UN Women feasibility study (UN Women, 2018)

October 1, 2018

The objective of the study was to investigate the feasibility of leveraging big data sources—particularly Twitter, Facebook, and radio data—to improve the evaluation of gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives. In particular, this study seeks to understand the role of big data to evaluate the contribution of UN Women to women’s political participation and leadership (WPP).

Taking Mexico and Pakistan as two case studies, which present different challenges to access of big data sources and distinct barriers to WPP, processes of accessing, analysing, and triangulating big data sources were documented with traditional data as a feasible means to provide more credible and robust insights about the effectiveness of UN Women interventions.

Click here for full study.

Filed Under: [E] C4D Monitoring & Evaluation, Big Data, Big Data Highlights, Case Studies, Gender, ICT4D (Information Communication Technologies for Development), Innovations, Mexico, Pakistan, Publications (published in print and/or online), Social Media Tagged With: Facebook, Political Participation, Twitter

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Site Navigation

Join C4D
Contact Us
Get Involved
Facebook Group
LinkedIn Group

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Social Networks

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Communication for Development Network
Registered address:
Finsbury House, New Street,
Chipping Norton, Oxon, OX7 5LL, UK
E-mail [email protected]
Non-profit Company Number: 7734410

Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2023 C4D Network · Website by IndigoBird

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×