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Social Media: Tools for Peace and Development?
This document discusses how social media can be used as tools for peace and development. It explores different perspectives on whether social media represents new or old media, innovation or stagnation, and freedom of expression versus social control. Examples are provided of how social media platforms like Twitter, Ushahidi, and Global Voices are being used to map local issues, crowdsource information, and facilitate open exchange during events like elections and protests. The document considers debates around whether information industries and technologies operate in open or closed cycles.
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Social Media: Tools for Peace and Development?
- 1. Social MediaTools forPeace and Development? Leslie ChanUniversity of Toronto ScarboroughInformation: The Media of PeaceMAPPING LOCAL LANDSCAPESCOMMUNITY APPROACHES TO PEACE Toronto, Jan. 28-29, 2011
- 2. New or OldMedia?Innovation or Stagnation? Social control or Freedom of Expression?Private or Public ?State or Individual ?Open or Close ?Generative or Tethered?Expert or Amateur ? Crowd-sourcing orCooptation ?Updates or Decays ?Created by Egyptian @ZeinabSamir
- 3. The World ofJournal Publishing According to Thomson’s ISI Science Citation IndexData from 2002http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=205
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- 7. From “Big” scienceto Networked scienceKnowledge for local problem solving
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- 9. 9Active Bioline Journalsgraphed with Google Maps.Retrieved April 26, 2010 from: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117328677437228595850.00044ec490b69019e64a3&z=2
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- 13. New or OldMedia?Innovation or Stagnation? Social control or Freedom of Expression?Private or Public ?State or Individual ?Open or Close ?Generative or Tethered?Expert or Amateur ? Crowd-sourcing orCooptation ?Updates or Decays ?Created by Egyptian @ZeinabSamir
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- 15. "The oscillation ofinformation industries between open and closed is so typical a phenomenon that I have given it a name: 'the Cycle.'"
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- 18. "We believe thatthe open exchange of information and views benefits societies and helps governments connect with their people” Release by Twitter Jan. 25
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- 22. ReMapping the Worldwith Social Media!
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Editor's Notes
- #3 Tunasia – spill overWhy haven’t they revolted earlier?Spark to EgyptCollective action without alterantive political partyDomino effect? Obama called on Egyptian government to restore internet and cell phone serviceRights to people assembalge, rights to free speech, human rightsUS not implicated in any shape or form CNN at Egypt (“nothing less than a revolution in real time”)“CNN has unprecedented resources in the region”CNN at Rwanda
- #4 metrics of total publications and citations.Top 15 countries account for 82% of total publicationsAuthor with African institutional affiliation account for less than 1% of global output, and S. Africa has the highest output. The rest are “invisible”Consequence of trying to publish in “International” journal results in neglect of important local problems and solutions that are appropriate for local conditions.
- #8 he New Invisible College, Caroline Wagner combines quantitative data and extensive interviews to map the emergence of global science networks and trace the dynamics driving their growth. She argues that the shift from big science to global networks creates unprecedented opportunities for developing countries to tap science's potential. Rather than squander resources in vain efforts to mimic the scientific establishments of the twentieth century, developing country governments can leverage networks by creating incentives for top-notch scientists to focus on research that addresses their concerns and by finding ways to tie knowledge to local problem solving. T
- #14 Tunasia – spill overWhy haven’t they revolted earlier?Spark to EgyptCollective action without alterantive political partyDomino effect? Obama called on Egyptian government to restore internet and cell phone serviceRights to people assembalge, rights to free speech, human rightsUS not implicated in any shape or form CNN at Egypt (“nothing less than a revolution in real time”)“CNN has unprecedented resources in the region”CNN at Rwanda
- #17 TwittersThe revolution will be tweeted Revolution in real timeThe government owns the pipeSocial media the battle groud for control Creating new ties? Distribued movement?Without leaders? Distributed power No political institutionA generational shift media-savvy diasporaGovernments do not know how to deal with new media(Turning Twitter off may have backed fire – turn young people to the street). Where innovative use of media is coming from? Old media – Aljeezerra – Tunisia – social media feeding the old media Old media doesn’t get displaced by new media, - new media becomes remediated #jan25
- #19 This group agreed that the success of a specific case is not necessarily linked to the technology employed. For example, while sms was key in the Philippines in the campaign to depose Estrada in 2001, it was also powerfully used in the 2007 Kenyan elections to distribute hate messages. Similarly, while Wikipedia is seen by many in the group as a very successful case of wisdom of the crowd, a participant from Syria explained that in her country it is not successful, as anonymous participation is not considered trustworthy. The role of Twitter in the 2009 Iran elections was also controversial, as according to the group it contributed to both the organising of the activists and in making them more easily traceable by the Iranian authorities. Everyone agreed on the role played by Ushahidi in successfully providing up-to-date information after the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Another successful example is the use of social media by the Obama campaign in the US elections.The reasons behind a success story include the local appropriateness of a specific platform, as the Wikipedia example suggests. Another factor is the presence of local feedback: whether local users can directly benefit from the wisdom of the crowd, as opposed to providing information only to be used elsewhere. The Ushahidi story also hints at the power of the open source ethos of specific projects in bringing together inclusive communities.
- #21 Building on the hopes of Professor Hargraves speech:Democracy, equity, inclusiveness, and human rightsHope to show you how what we do can help us get students there!
- #23 metrics of total publications and citations.Top 15 countries account for 82% of total publicationsAuthor with African institutional affiliation account for less than 1% of global output, and S. Africa has the highest output. The rest are “invisible”Consequence of trying to publish in “International” journal results in neglect of important local problems and solutions that are appropriate for local conditions.