Motif Individu, Karakteristik Konten Berita, dan Tingkah Laku Meneruskan Pesan Melalui WhatsApp

WhatsApp is one of the most popular text-messaging mobile applications in Indonesia. Unfortunately, WhatsApp has also been found as a medium to spread false information. The current study explores what motivates individuals to forward messages on WhatsApp as well as the characteristics of information that they would forward to other users. Qualitative interviews to 20 WhatsApp users aged 19 – 78 years old were conducted to collect data. Participants reported several attributes that characterize surprising news or messages. A message is perceived as surprising if it is a breaking news or messages with unexpected or unheard information. Messages that feature events that took place with geographical proximity to them or to the person who received the forwarded messages are also considered surprising. Besides to inform friends and relatives about an event or information, participants’ responses also indicate that message forwarding serves as a conversation starter in direct messages or on WhatsApp groups. Participants’ responses indicate that forwarding surprising messages with unverified source reflect a lack of information literacy instead of a motivated or intentional act to disinform others. Keywords: News sharing, Message Forwarding, WhatsAppAplikasi WhatsApp merupakan salah satu platform yang populer di Indonesia. Sayangnya, WhatsApp juga diketahui menjadi media untuk menyebarkan informasi yang tidak benar. Penelitian saat ini mengeksplorasi mengenai apa yang memotivasi individu untuk meneruskan pesan dalam WhatsApp dan karakteristik dari informasi yang akan mereka teruskan kepada pengguna lain. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui wawancara kualitatif kepada 20 pengguna WhatsApp dengan usia antara 19 – 78 tahun. Partisipan melaporkan beberapa karakteristik dari berita atau pesan yang mengejutkan. Suatu pesan dipersepsikan sebagai pesan yang mengejutkan jika merupakan berita terbaru atau pesan dengan informasi yang tidak sesuai ekspektasi atau tidak pernah terdengar sebelumnya. Pesan mengenai kejadian yang secara geografis berdekatan dengan partisipan atau orang terdekatnya akan membuatnya terkejut. Selain untuk memberitahu teman dan keluarga mengenai kejadian atau informasi, respons partisipan menunjukkan bahwa meneruskan pesan menjadi pembuka percakapan dalam pesan langsung atau kelompok WhatsApp. Respons partisipan menunjukkan bahwa meneruskan pesan yang mengejutkan dengan sumber yang tidak terverifikasi mencerminkan kurangnya literasi informasi, bukan karena adanya motivasi atau tindakan yang sengaja dilakukan untuk memberikan informasi yang tidak benar kepada orang lain

Yönetsel amaçla kurulmuş whatsApp gruplarının akademisyenler tarafından değerlendirilmesine yönelik bir durum çalışması

Technological developments have enabled the traditional nature of communication to evolve into group messaging. These developments gained momentum amid the COVID-19 process and brought instant messaging and social media communication to the forefront. WhatsApp, one of the most commonly used instant messaging applications for informal communication, has also started being favored more for formal communication in organizational management. WhatsApp has become a powerful professional communication tool that organizational administrators preferred, has become to serve organizational purposes as an alternative to formal information and document sharing platforms. This study aims to investigate whether WhatsApp messaging effectively serves organizational purposes in higher education, and evaluates how it is perceived and utilized by academicians. This case study is a type of qualitative research where the data collected from the workgroup are analyzed by descriptive analysis to obtain findings. Five main themes are derived from the analysis; namely group structure and characteristics, communication, cooperation, psycho-social impact, negative opinions, and related ten sub-themes were detected. According to the results derived from the study, the participants expressed mostly positive and some negative perceptions regarding the communication made through the WhatsApp groups established for administrative purposes.Teknolojik gelişmeler iletişimin geleneksel doğasının sayısal mesajlaşmaya doğru evrilmesini sağlamıştır. Bu gelişmeler COVID-19 sürecinde ivme kazanarak anlık mesajlaşma ve sosyal medya iletişimini ön plana çıkarmıştır. Anlık mesajlaşma uygulamalarından biri olan WhatsApp, biçimsel olmayan iletişimin yanı sıra biçimsel olarak da yönetim amaçlı kullanılmaya başlanmıştır. Örgütlerde yöneticilerin sıklıkla tercih etmeye başladığı güçlü bir iletişim aracı haline gelen WhatsApp’ın resmi bilgi ve belge paylaşımı platformlarının yerini alarak örgütsel amaca hizmet edecek şekilde kullanımı yaygınlaşmıştır. Yönetici akademisyenlerin konuya ilişkin yaklaşımları uygulamanın etkin kullanımı ve sürdürülebilirliği açısından önemlidir. Mesajlaşma uygulamalarının bu şekilde resmi bir niteliğe büründürülmesinin örgütsel amaca hizmet edip etmediğinin ve çalışanlar tarafından nasıl algılandığının araştırılması çalışmanın temel amacını oluşturmaktadır. Bu araştırma nitel bir araştırma yöntemi kullanılarak açıklayıcı/tanımlayıcı durum çalışması türünde desenlenmiş ve çalışma grubundan toplanan veriler betimsel analiz yapılarak bulgulara ulaşılmıştır. Yapılan analiz sonucunda; grup yapısı ve özellikleri, iletişim, iş birliği, psiko-sosyal etki, olumsuz görüşler olarak beş ana tema ve on alt tema belirlenmiştir. Çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlara göre yönetsel amaçla kurulan WhatsApp gruplarından yapılan paylaşımlarla ilgili olarak çoğu katılımcı olumlu bazıları ise olumsuz görüş bildirmişlerdir

Laws in Conflict: Legacies of War and Legal Pluralism in Chechnya

This dissertation explores how the social and political consequences of armed conflict affect legal pluralism; specifically, the coexistence of Russian state law, Sharia, and customary law in Chechnya. The study draws on qualitative and quantitative data gathered during seven months of fieldwork in Chechnya. The data include over one hundred semistructured interviews with legal authorities and religious and traditional leaders; an original survey of the population; and a novel dataset of all civil and criminal cases heard in state courts. First, the dissertation argues that armed conflict disrupted traditional social hierarchies in Chechnya, which paved the way for state penetration into Chechen society. The conflict particularly disrupted gender hierarchies. As a result of the highly gendered nature of the conflict, women in Chechnya became breadwinners in their families and gained experience in serving important social roles, most notably as interlocutors between communities and different armed groups. This change in women’s bargaining power within households and increase in their social status came into conflict with the patriarchal social order, which was based on men’s rigid interpretations of religious and customary norms. In response, women started utilizing the state legal system, a system that at least formally acknowledges gender equality, in contrast to customary law and Sharia. State law is corrupt, inefficient, slow, and its use is associated with community and family ostracism. Nevertheless, this dissertation shows that many Chechen women use and support state law. Second, the dissertation establishes that the political context of the conflict moderates the effect of war on legal pluralism. The penetration of state law through disruption of social hierarchies is driven by the Second Chechen War (1999-2009). In contrast, communities that were exposed to violence during the First Chechen War (1994-1996) ultimately rejected Russian state law and rely predominantly on Sharia and customary law. In these communities, the structural effects of disrupted hierarchies were overpowered by alienation from the Russian state. The study explains this discrepancy by showing how communities victimized during the First War developed strong collective identities that filtered blame for the war. Third, the dissertation shows that war-induced female empowerment in Chechnya faced a strong backlash from the Chechen government. The most notorious manifestations of the neotraditionalist policies of the Chechen government are the semiformal introduction of polygamy, support for the practice of honor killings, and a restrictive female dress code. Furthermore, the officials in charge of state law actively disrupt its functioning in gendered cases. The study finds that state officials in Chechnya are less supportive of state law than the average Chechen. This is the result of the incorporation of former rebels into the government, which is a structural legacy of the conflict. In addition, the dissertation argues that the Chechen regional government promotes legal pluralism and undermines state law strategically, as part of its coalition-building effort. The government allows men to keep control over their families, relying on custom and religion in exchange for their political loyalty. Finally, the dissertation suggests that government promotion of legal pluralism is a political strategy that has several objectives: (1) it allows the government to borrow legitimacy from tradition and religion, which both have large appeal among the Chechen population; (2) it increases the government’s discretion and allows it to cherry-pick norms across alternative orders while avoiding regulations embedded in them; and (3) it gives the regional government additional leverage vis-à-vis the federal center by signaling to the Kremlin that it cannot rule Chechnya directly and that its local intermediaries are indispensable. Overall, the dissertation shows that legal pluralism is not just a reflection of ‘political culture’ or ‘weak state capacity,’ but rather is an inherently political phenomenon, an arena for the pursuit of interests by the government and individuals alike

Reality decoupling: rumours, disinformation, and studying the politics of truth in digital Asia

This article explores what conflicts over information and meaning-making in digital Asia can tell us about politics in advanced networked societies, using examples from East Asia. It interprets the construction and spread of unverified information as part of near-ubiquitous political practices that threaten to lead to a decoupling of realities. The article makes the case that digital Asia is a crucial site for researching such practices: Asian societies are characterized by a long-standing engagement with rumours, and they also maintain highly developed digital infrastructures across diverse socio-political and economic environments. To explore the relevance of rumours and conspiracy theories in such contexts, the article suggests a three-step research agenda that analyzes the anatomy of rumours, traces their genealogy across complex socio-technical systems, and assesses their pathology – that is, the way in which they are products of, and in turn produce, power in translocal networks.Asian Studie

Locating Human Security In the City: The Case of Rohingya Refugees In New Delhi

This research examines the subjective experience of human security by Rohingya urban refugees who fled to New Delhi, India, from Myanmar, in 2012. It uses bottom-up, top-down, and historical-to-present approaches to recognize the myriad factors that influence the path to security. The bottom-up approach frames the Rohingya present-day experience; the top-down approach delineates motivations embedded in the current India state and the international refugee regime; and the past-to-present approach explains the perspectives of each of these actors. One urban refugee settlement was chosen as a primary field site to examine the challenges and varied everyday experiences of the city for migrants. Two other urban settlements were selected for supplementary participant observation and the collection of quantitative data. At my primary field site, Rohingya men and women were interviewed to assess their feeling of security (in Rohingya hefazat or in Hindi suraksha). The perceptions of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) employees, government officials, and community representative were also recorded. Human security, defined as a person-centered security, was assessed on three dimensions: political, economic, and community. Analysis of the data compelled me to focus on what I call political human security. Anthropologists theorize the embeddedness of new immigrants and resettled refugees through acts of cultural citizenship, assimilation, and integration. This study, however, demonstrates that for urban refugees their primary need is basic security. This security is inevitably political; Rohingya refugees are deemed “illegal” immigrants by the state, but are permitted to stay as protected wards of the UNHCR. They assume a refugee identity that both expose them to further exploitation, while also shielding them from starvation and disease. This politically formed identity must be negotiated in daily interaction in order to find security. India is a first country of asylum for the Rohingya in this study. No South Asian country has signed the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, making India a good case study for how South Asia may respond to refugee influxes into urban spaces. India is unwilling to allow Muslim refugees to become naturalized citizens, pointing to religious and cultural factors that produce insecurity in the South Asia region. Furthermore, tensions rise when apolitical agencies like the UNHCR call upon India’s conservative administration to protect a population they define as undesirable. By focusing on urban refugees and their interactions with the state and supranational organizations, this research demonstrates the importance of statehood and citizenship as instruments of sovereignty that uphold human rights and protect against insecurity

The Politics of Violence in Latin America

A reexamination of the causes of violence in Latin America and a challenge to preconceptions of the possibility of change. Latin America is one of the most violent regions in the world. It has suffered waves of repressive authoritarian rule, organized armed insurgency and civil war, violent protest, and ballooning rates of criminal violence. But is violence hard-wired into Latin America? This is a critical reassessment of the ways in which violence in Latin America is addressed and understood. Previous approaches have relied on structural perspectives, attributing the problem of violence to Latin America’s colonial past or its conflictual contemporary politics. Bringing together scholars and practitioners, this volume argues that violence is often rooted more in contingent outcomes than in deeply embedded structures. Addressing topics ranging from the root sources of violence in Haiti to kidnapping in Colombia, from the role of property rights in patterns of violence to the challenges of peacebuilding, The Politics of Violence in Latin America is an essential step towards understanding the causes and contexts of violence—and changing the mechanisms that produce it

Portrayals of Hashtag Activism in Southeast Asia: A Case Study of #NOVATONEDUCATION Citizen Movement in Bangladesh

During 2015, the government of Bangladesh imposed a value-added tax (VAT) on private university education in order to expand the purview of revenue collection. Fearing this additional hike in the tuition fees, thousands of mostly middle-class students protested that this would add to the already existing burden on their families in supporting their education. The country’s socioeconomic backdrop of culture and the economic scenario was such where the parents had to bear a lot for their children’s expenses for a long time until the children became independent. On top of such already overpriced expenses, the question of bearing VAT became exorbitant for the families. Therefore, the question of this added cost became a burning issue that the student activists chose to fight. The students vowed to continue peaceful protests and demonstrations until their demands were met. Activism found a new dimension with digital and social media. A literature review was conducted to explore the existing research regarding the issue in question and to identify any research gaps.When looking at the recent developments in the scenario of fundamental freedom, the countries once thought as invulnerable to authoritarian temptations are now imposing restrictions on basic rights and autonomy. Thanks to digital media and advancements in technology, the conversation on the internet, especially via social media, changed the mode of public conversation for good. This research incorporated the Southeast Asian perspective of activism in creating a desirable change in public opinion and the resultant policy reform as the after-effect of widespread dissension. This research revolved around starting with answering research questions like how the #NoVATonEducation campaign developed over time and then presents an overview of the media communication tools that were used in the campaign, followed by a focus on the role of social media

Global Digital Cultures: Perspectives from South Asia

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 how 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