5 research outputs found
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Information and computer technology and the digital divide in the post-revolution Tunisia
The goal of this study is to better understand the dimensions of the digital divide in Tunisia in the context of the post-revolutionary phase. The significant role of information and communication technologies (ICT) during the revolution and in the post-revolution democracy process raises questions about the inclusiveness of the digital sphere to all Tunisian social groups and about the overall interactions with the ICT and their domestication into the Tunisian households. This study was designed to answer three main research questions: what are the implications of gender, age, and class for (1) ICT access and usage? (2) Attitudes towards ICT? And (3) ICT usage for political participation? An ethnographic semi-structured interview study was conducted in three neighborhoods of the city of Sousse in Tunisia over a two-week period of intensive field work, and was complemented by observations of the locals’ interactions with ICT during multiple visits to Tunisia. Respondents were recruited through snowball and convenience sampling. The study focused on those considered to be vulnerable social communities: women, the elderly, and socioeconomically disadvantaged Tunisians. The interview analysis revealed that demographic factors did not have a significant influence on the gaps between the users and non-users, except for age in certain instances. The concept of social capital made the difference and had a significant effect on balancing issues related to economic and cultural capitals. For most of the informants, social capital, mainly family and community members, played an integral role in domesticating the technologies and brokering techno-competencies to those without economic and educational means. On the other hand, perceived relevance and cultural values emerged as the most significant divide factors. This project makes a theoretical contribution to the literature about the digital divide by emphasizing the role of the cultural values and the social landscape in reducing or widening the gap between the connected and non-connected. This dissertation stresses on the importance of conducting more ethnographic research in small Arab world community contexts in order to reveal more culturally embedded factors that directly affect the interaction between the culture and information technologies.Radio-Television-Fil
Politics gone viral : social media and political mobilization : in what respects are social media effective tools for initiating political mobilization and stimulating political change in order to challenge authoritarian regimes?
Includes bibliographical references.The rise of new media has continued to have a profound effect on the global political system. Social media in particular have seen an exponential increase in penetration globally. The recent Arab uprisings that began in 2010 across the MENA region have challenged authoritarian resilience, which has been a prominent feature of the region for several decades. This project examines the rise of social media and their effects on the political system, specifically the role played by social media in undermining the power of authoritarian regimes. Traditionally authoritarian regimes have used many methods in order to maintain power. These have included: maintaining a strong coercive apparatus, the strategic introduction of certain institutions and the role of traditional legitimacy, and/or charismatic or personalistic leadership. This dissertation considers whether the use of social media has changed the balance of power within states enabling citizens to overthrow their authoritarian leaders. Two case studies; Tunisia and Syria are analysed to show the effects of social media on the political uprisings in both nations
Access Denied
A study of Internet blocking and filtering around the world: analyses by leading researchers and survey results that document filtering practices in dozens of countries.Many countries around the world block or filter Internet content, denying access to information that they deem too sensitive for ordinary citizens—most often about politics, but sometimes relating to sexuality, culture, or religion. Access Denied documents and analyzes Internet filtering practices in more than three dozen countries, offering the first rigorously conducted study of an accelerating trend. Internet filtering takes place in more than three dozen states worldwide, including many countries in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Related Internet content-control mechanisms are also in place in Canada, the United States and a cluster of countries in Europe. Drawing on a just-completed survey of global Internet filtering undertaken by the OpenNet Initiative (a collaboration of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University, and the University of Cambridge) and relying on work by regional experts and an extensive network of researchers, Access Denied examines the political, legal, social, and cultural contexts of Internet filtering in these states from a variety of perspectives. Chapters discuss the mechanisms and politics of Internet filtering, the strengths and limitations of the technology that powers it, the relevance of international law, ethical considerations for corporations that supply states with the tools for blocking and filtering, and the implications of Internet filtering for activist communities that increasingly rely on Internet technologies for communicating their missions. Reports on Internet content regulation in forty different countries follow, with each two-page country profile outlining the types of content blocked by category and documenting key findings.ContributorsRoss Anderson, Malcolm Birdling, Ronald Deibert, Robert Faris, Vesselina Haralampieva [as per Rob Faris], Steven Murdoch, Helmi Noman, John Palfrey, Rafal Rohozinski, Mary Rundle, Nart Villeneuve, Stephanie Wang, Jonathan Zittrai
El papel de las redes sociales en la cibercultura: el caso de la "primavera árabe"
El fenómeno de las redes sociales ha supuesto un cambio sin parangón en muchos ámbitos de nuestras vidas. Fundamentalmente, en el ámbito comunicativo, político y social. Ha transformado por completo la forma de trabajar de los medios de comunicación tradicionales que se han tenido que adaptar de manera inmediata a esta nueva forma de comunicar y de transmitir las informaciones internacionales con su correspondiente influencia en el desarrollo de los movimientos sociales como los acontecidos en los últimos años: las revueltas árabes de Oriente Medio y el Norte del Magreb, que se originaron a finales de diciembre de 2010 y que, en algunos países, perduran en forma de guerra. La mayoría de los estudios e investigaciones rigurosas que hemos analizado y contrastado dotan a estas herramientas cibernéticas de un poder movilizador y democratizador en las denominadas primaveras árabes. Pero, ¿realmente esto es así? En la investigación que nos atañe trataremos de dar respuesta a este interrogante y de demostrar que lo que sucedió en estos países lejos de ser una ‘revolución’ se ha convertido en una involución en muchos aspectos para las sociedades de Oriente Medio. Una involución orquestada por una elite formada y con altos conocimientos tecnológicos, que, junto con la ayuda de las potencias occidentales, especialmente de EEUU y mediante la llamada técnica de los golpes blandos ha conseguido derrocar a algunos regímenes de estos países. Así mismo, estudiaremos cómo ha evolucionado la forma de trabajar de los medios de comunicación y concretamente de las agencias de noticias con el surgimiento de las redes sociales. Haremos especial hincapié en el tipo de mensajes que sobre las primaveras árabes han transmitido tanto las agencias de noticias occidentales como orientales en su red social Twitter..