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CitizenMediainRussia,CentralandEasternEurope,ChinaandEastAsiaandtheArabWorld

www.citizenmediamanchester.wordpress.com

CitizenMediainRussia,CentralandEasternEurope,ChinaandEastAsia,andtheArabWorld

27-28January2014

hostedby

DivisionofLanguagesandInterculturalStudies

WorkshopOrganisers

MonaBaker(DivisionofLanguagesandInterculturalStudies,SchoolofArts,Languages&Cultures)ElenaBarabantseva(Politics,SchoolofSocialSciences)GabiHendry,DivisionofLanguages&Interculturalstudies,SchoolofArts,Languages&Cultures)AdiKuntsman(Anthropology,SchoolofSocialSciences)


AcknowledgementsTheconferenceorganiserswishtothankthefollowingfortheirsupport:

§ Thefollowingcentresthathavesponsoredtheevent:TheCentreforEastEuropean

Language-BasedAreaStudies;CentreforRussian,CentralandEastEuropeanStudies;White

RoseEastAsiaCentre;CentrefortheAdvancedStudyoftheArabWorldandTheBritish

Inter-UniversityChinaCentre.

§ TheSchoolofArts,LanguagesandCultures,UniversityofManchester,forlogisticsupport.

§ FionaDaniel,ResearchOffice,SchoolofArts,LanguagesandCultures,foradviceandlogisticalsupport.

§ Li-WenChang,CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,fortechnicalsupportandvideotapingtheevent.

NotestoDelegates

§ IfyouwouldliketobekeptinformedofthelatestdevelopmentsincitizenmediaandreceiveinformationonnewinitiativesledbytheUniversityofManchesterteam,pleasevisitthewebsiteandclickonthe‘FollowCitizenMediaatManchester’buttonatthebottomofthepage:http://citizenmediamanchester.wordpress.com.

§ YoucanalsofollowusonTwitter:@CitMediaCentre.

§ TheUniversityofManchesterinvestsinawiderangeofactivitiesthataddressoroverlapwiththethemeofcitizenmedia.Youmightliketochecksomeofthefollowinglinks:

• InPlaceofWar:http://inplaceofwar.net/home.• ManchesterDigitalMediaNetwork:

http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/ricc/projects/MDMN/.• ActivistPerformance–GesturalNotes:

http://activistperformance.wordpress.com/about/.• GranadaCentreforVisualAnthropology:

http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/disciplines/socialanthropology/visualanthropology.


TableofContentsCitizenMediainRussia,CentralandEasternEurope,ChinaandEastAsiaandtheArabWorld........................................................................................................................................1OutlineProgramme..................................................................................................................2DetailedProgramme.............................................................................................................3-4Monday27January2014.............................................................................................3

Tuesday28January2014..............................................................................................4

Abstracts..............................................................................................................................5-21Plenaries...................................................................................................................5-8Workshop.....................................................................................................................9Panels...................................................................................................................10-21ListofDelegates................................................................................................................22-23

1 CitizenMediainRussia,CentralandEasternEurope,ChinaandEastAsiaandtheArabWorld


The term ‘citizenmedia’,or ‘participatorymedia’, coversawide rangeofactivitiesundertakenbyordinary,non-professionalcitizenswholayaclaimtoanareaofpubliclifeandpoliticsandseektotransform it in someway. From videos circulated on Youtube to graffiti, street performance andother forms of street art, and from community radio to blogging, crowd sourcing, tweeting,flashmobprotestandhacktivism,newformsofcivicengagementcontinuetodevelop,expandandshapetherelationshipbetweentheprivateandthepublic,thelocalandtheglobal,mainstreamandalternativemedia,corporationsandclients,thestateandcivilsociety.TheaimoftheworkshopistobringtogetherdoctoralstudentsandearlycareerresearcherswhoworkoncitizenmediainRussiaand Central and Eastern Europe, China and East Asia, and the Arab world – areas where citizenmediahasbeenatthecentreofpoliticalcontestations,censorshipandeverydaystruggles.Thefocusof theworkshop is onmethodological challenges of researching citizenmedia,whether these areconceptual,practical,ethicalorpolitical.

Theprogrammeisdesignedtoensuremaximumparticipationbyallattendees,andtoallowsufficienttimefordiscussionandexchangeofviews.



OutlineProgramme

Monday27January201409.00-09.15 Registration Penthouse

ConferenceRoom09.15-09.30 Introductionandwelcome

Penthouse

ConferenceRoom

09.30-11.30 PlenaryI–ArtsandPoliticsJohnJohnston,GoldsmithsCollege,UniversityofLondon,UKGeorgianaNicoarea,UniversityofBucharest,Romania

PenthouseConferenceRoom

11.30-12.00 CoffeeBreak PenthouseConferenceRoom

12.00-13.30 Panel1–UnderstandingCitizenParticipation PenthouseConferenceRoom

13.30-14.30 Lunch Restaurant14.30-17.00 TrainingWorkshop:TheoryandMethods

LuisPérez-González,UniversityofManchester,UKTheoreticalandMethodologicalPerspectivesonCitizenMedia


18.00 ConferenceDinner Restaurant

Tuesday28January201409.30-11.30 PlenaryII-ProtestandResistance

AstridNordin,UniversityofLancaster,UKEvgeniaNim,AltaiStateUniversity,Russia


11.30-12.00 CoffeeBreak PenthouseConferenceRoom

12.00-13.30 Panel2–ExploringResearchTools PenthouseConferenceRoom

13.30-14.30 Lunch Restaurant14.30-16.00 Panel3–LookingforInterpretations Penthouse

ConferenceRoom16.00-16.15 Closingremarks Penthouse

ConferenceRoom



DetailedProgramme

Monday27January201409.00-09.15 Registration Penthouse

ConferenceRoom09.15-09.30 Introductionandwelcome

Penthouse

ConferenceRoom

09.30-11.30 PlenaryI–ArtsandPoliticsJohnJohnston,GoldsmithsCollege,UniversityofLondon,UKWhenWordsFailGeorgianaNicoarea,UniversityofBucharest,RomaniaCairo’sGraffitiGoesVit(tu)al:Facebookwalls,theirgraffitiavenuesandtheafterlifeChair:ElenaBarabantseva


11.30-12.00 CoffeeBreak

12.00-13.30 Panel1–UnderstandingCitizenParticipationAndreyPavlov,RussianStateUniversityfortheHumanities,RussiaDiscoursesofHatredinRussianSocialMedia,CivicResistanceandAnti-extremistLegislation:TheCaseofvk.comJianfeiZhao,ZhejiangUniversityofMediaandCommunications,P.R.China/UniversityofLeeds,UKFullSwingofCommercialization,TwilightofGrassrootsCreativity:AnAlternativeViewontheChineseMicro-movieWaveSaraBeretta,UniversitàdiMilanoBicocca,ItalyMediaParticipationandDesiringSubjectsKatarzynaWalasek,JagiellonianUniversity,PolandTheCursedSoldiersonourStreets:CitizenMedia,theCaseofPolandChair:DianeWilliams


13.30-14.30 Lunch Restaurant14.30-17.00 TrainingWorkshop:TheoryandMethods

LuisPérez-González,UniversityofManchester,UKTheoreticalandMethodologicalPerspectivesonCitizenMediaChair:GabiHendry


18.00 ConferenceDinner Restaurant


Tuesday28January201409.30-11.30 PlenaryII-ProtestandResistance

AstridNordin,UniversityofLancaster,UKIronic‘Resistance’inChineseCitizenMediaOnlineEvgeniaNim,AltaiStateUniversity,Russia‘Nanodemonstrations’asMediaEvents:NetworkedformsoftheRussianProtestMovementChair:AdiKuntsman


11.30-12.00 CoffeeBreak 12.00-13.30 Panel2–ExploringResearchTools

JuliRone,EuropeanUniversityInstituteinFlorence,ItalyTheSilenceoftheLambs:Researching‘AnonymousBulgaria’DouniaMahlouly&FilippoTrevisan,UniversityofGlasgow,UKGooglingforHeroes:UsingSearchEngineAccessoryToolstoStudyPoliticalTurmoilinEgyptDimaSaber,BirminghamCentreforMediaandCulturalResearch,BirminghamCityUniversity,UKCheckdesk:Sorting,DevelopingandDisseminatingCitizenReportingintheMENARegionAdelAbdelGhafar,TheCentreforArabandIslamicStudies,TheAustralianNationalUniversity/TheAmericanUniversityinCairoSocialMedia&EgyptianActivismAfterTheJanuary25thUprising:ASocialMovementTheoryApproachChair:NeilSadler


13.30-14.30 Lunch Restaurant14.30-16.00 Panel3–LookingforInterpretations

LeighLlewellynGraham,ColumbiaUniversity,USLookingat2013:ARevolutionaryYearintheSaudiTwittersphereGillianBolsover,OxfordInternetInstitute,UKUsingCross-NationalComparativeResearchtoStudyCitizenMediaLingjuanFan,UniversityofManchester,UKCitizenMediaastheSiteofPost-humanitarianActionGalinaMiazhevich,LeicesterUniversity,UKOnlinePoliticalSatireastheCaseofCivicResistanceinaPost-SovietSpaceChair:RebeccaJohnson



16.45-17.00 ClosingremarksMonaBaker,DivisionofLanguages&InterculturalStudies,UniversityofManchester



PlenaryAbstracts

WhenWordsFail

JohnJohnston,GoldsmithsCollege,UniversityofLondon,UK

Eachyearonagivenspringday,thetowns,villagesandcitiesofIsraelstandstillonthesoundofasiren.InaprecursortothefireworksandcelebrationsofindependencedayorPalestinian‘Nakba’(DisasterDay),thestateofIsraelisrememberingitswardead.Privateandpublictransportcomestoastopwhenthesirensounds.PublicspacesareadornedwiththeblueandwhiteflagsofIsrael.ThelargestbuildingsofTelAvivandthehighesthillsthatoverlooktheWestBankaredressedandcoloured,utilizedasvisualpropstoproclaimthepresenceandsomewouldsaydominanceofthestateofwithintheregion.Schoolsandotherpublicinstitutionsareexpectedtohonorthismomentofremembrancethroughclosureorcollectiveactsofreflection.Butwhatofthe1.6millionArabswholivewithinthepoliticalbordersofIsrael–dotheyfallquiet,dotheyclosetheirshopsandbusinessesasamarkofremembrance?ThisillustratedtalkwillfollowthestoryofoneschoolintheArabtownofKafrQarathatsitsfirmlywithinthepoliticalbordersofIsrael.Thepresentationwillexplorethetensionsbetweenteachers,pupilsandthecommunityastheystruggletoremaintruetotheschool’sidentityasaplaceofbilingualandcrossculturallearning.TheworkshopwillexplorehowasmallgroupofartistteachersfromtheUKworkedwiththepupils’teachersandfamiliesinanattempttokeeptheschoolopenthroughthishighlychargedandcontestedtime.Iwilldiscussthepractical,ethicalandpoliticalchallengesthattheprojectunearthed.Withdirectreferenceto‘citizenmedia’Iwillalsoexaminehowthisformofartpedagogyactsasatoolforinterventionagainstthecommentaryandoftenreactivenatureofstreetart.Iwouldlikeustoquestionthevalueofeachformofinterventionwithintheparadigmofresistanceandpoliticalprogression.


Cairo’sGraffitiGoesVit(tu)al:Facebookwalls,theirgraffitiavenuesandtheafterlifeGeorgianaNicoarea,UniversityofBucharest,RomaniaThegraffitiofdowntownCairohasbecomeoneofthetrademarksoftheJanuary25Revolution.Whatlookedatfirstlikeanover-productiveartisticpracticeappearstobefuelling,throughitsoverwhelmingpresence,theconstructionoftherevolution’simagery.Egyptiangraffitihastravelledinvariousformsfromreal-lifewallstoFacebookwallsandfromtheretoofficialmediaandbookstores.Thisdynamicwasinitiatedbywhatseemedtobeaverynaturalstepintovirtualspacewhereliberationgraffitiaccompaniescitizenmediaandillustratescreativenetizenactivism.WhatcanthisjourneytellusaboutthedynamicsofCairo’surbaninscriptions?Canthevirtualpublic’sinteractionwithgraffitigivemoreinformationaboutitsoutreach?DoesthisexposurehelpCairo’sgraffitigoviralorjustvirtual?Thesearethekeyquestionsthatwillbeaddressedinthistalk.


‘Nanodemonstrations’asMediaEvents:NetworkedFormsoftheRussianProtestMovementEvgeniaNim,AltaiStateUniversity,Russia ‘Nanodemonstrations’firstbecamepartoftheRussianprotestmovementin2012.OriginatinginthenortherntownofApatity,awaveof‘dollprotests’–demonstrationsandothercitizenactionswhichwerestagedbyusinglegodollsandsofttoys–sweptovermanyRussiancities.ForbesMagazineincludedthenanodemonstrationswhichtookplaceintheSiberiancityofBarnaulinthelistof‘the12loudestartprotestactionsinRussia’.Theactivistsusedsocialmediatoorganisetheseactions;nanodemonstrationswereplannedasmediaeventsfromthestart.Inmytalk,Iwillattempttoapplydifferentmethodologicalapproachestothephenomenonofnanodemonstrations–fromthetheoriesofmediatisationofpoliticstotheconceptionsofcontestedurbanspaces.Mydiscussionwillofferthepotentialtheoreticalmodelsandframeworksthatcanbedevelopedtoanalysesimilarmediatisedandtheatricalformsofcivilresistance.


Ironic‘Resistance’inChineseCitizenMediaOnlineAstridNordin,UniversityofLancaster,UKThe‘onlinegeneration’ofChinesecitizens,or‘netizens’,havedevelopednumerousstrategiesforcriticizingandavoidingtheheavyonlinecensorshipregimetowhichtheyaresubjected.Oneaspectoftheironicegocultureofparticularinteresthereistheplaywithhomonymousornear-homonymouswordsthatcanhelpanindividualevadecensorshipsoftwarewhilstsimultaneouslycritiquingandridiculingthiscensorship.Wherethemethodologyofpreviousscholarshiphasattemptedtopindownthisformofexpressiontomeanonlyonething(resistancetopolitics,Bakhtiniancarnival),thispresentationarguesthatwhatismethodologicallymostinterestingaboutthesehomonymsistheirundecidabilityassimultaneouslyeither/orandneither/nor.SuchamethodologicalapproachcanmakeusbetterappreciatethecomplexityofthisaspectofChinesecitizenmediabeyondtheresistance/not-resistancebinary.


WorkshopAbstract

TrainingWorkshop:TheoryandMethods TheoreticalandMethodologicalPerspectivesonCitizenMediaLuisPérezGonzález,UniversityofManchester,UKThefirstpartofthisworkshopwilldeliveranoverviewofkeytheoreticalapproachesandconceptualnetworksdrivingcurrentresearchoncitizenmediaanddifferentinstancesofself-mediation.Participantswillthenbeintroducedtoarangeofmethodsofdatacollectionandanalysisinthefield,withparticularemphasisonqualitativeapproaches.Thefinalpartofthesessionwillinvolveaninteractivediscussionoftwoexploratorycasestudiesillustratingdifferenttheoreticalandmethodologicalperspectivesonthestudyofcitizenmedia.


PanelAbstracts

MediaParticipationandDesiringSubjectsSaraBeretta,UniversitàdiMilanoBicocca,Italy“Mediaparticipation”hasbeenagrowingphenomenoninChinasincethelate90’s,fromthe“NewChineseDocumentary”toegaoandshanzhaivideosontheInternet,fromsemi-journalisticreportagestosatiricalspoofs,uptocellflixsharingonsocialnetworkslikeWeChat.Suchawiderangeofproductsnotonlyinvolvesartistsandprofessionalsbutalsoamateursandcitizens,delineatingpluralformsofparticipationandactivism,agrowing“publicopinion”,especiallyamongthewangmin(Chinesenetizens).Inbothurbanandruralareas,videosandblogsempowercitizenstonarrateandexpressprivateandpublicmatters,likethe“citizenreporter”,ZhouShuguang(akaZola),whobecameanInternetcelebrity.Beyondthehiddentranscripts,mediaparticipationandthecommunicationmarketareofteninterlinked:socialcommentary,informationandpersonalaspirationallplayarole,betweenindividualismandsocialresponsibility.TheStatealsoshowsasortofambivalenceinthisrespect:commercialmediaandtheInternetareconsideredtobebotharesourceandathreatatthesametime,thedesiringsubjectsareencouragedbutalsocontrolled.Howaresuchactivitiesrelatedtooff-linelife?Alongwithonlineactivismandparticipation,individualism,enjoymentanddesirearecoreelementsofproductionandconsumptionofmedia,especiallyvideo,asthegrowingnumberofamateurandpersonalvideosproducedwithsmall,mobiledevicesseemstoreveal.Thecasestudiesdescribedcanberegardedascitizenmediabecausetheyareconcernedwithsocialissues-suchashousedemolitionandurbanalienation-takingpartinpublicdebatesbutfromasubjectiveperspective.Duetotheirpeculiarfeatures,myfieldworkinvolvesnotonlyvideos(Voci2010)andwebsites(Hine2000),butalsodailypractices(mainlyinShanghaiandBeijing),involvingmediaproductsandsubjectivity(Ortner2002).Insodoing,whatemergesistherelevanceofaspiration(Appadurai2011)anddesire(Rofel2007,Yan2010)inbothmediaanddailylife.


UsingCross-NationalComparativeResearchtoStudyCitizenMediaGillianBolsover,OxfordInternetInstitute,UKThistalkwilldescribetheimportanceofcross-national,comparativeresearchusingexamplesofmyownworkcomparingonline,politicalparticipationonmicroblogsandsocialnetworkingsitesintheUSandChina.Theseplatformsareanimportantvenueforcitizenstoexercisegreatercontroloverpublicopinionandthepoliticalagenda,particularlyinChinawheremoretraditionalmediaforms,suchasprintandradio,aretightlycontrolledbythegovernment.Thistalkwillcomprisethreesections.ThefirstsectionwillbrieflyintroducesurveydatacollectedonlinefromtheWorldInternetValuessurvey,illustratingdifferencesintheuseoftraditionalandcitizenmediabynetizensintheWest,ChinaandtheMiddleEastinordertojustifywhycross-nationalcomparativeresearchisimportantinthiscontext.Thissectionwillexplaintheimportanceofcomparativeresearch,andtheadvantagesandlimitationsofconductingcross-nationalanalyses.Inresearchingcitizenmediainanincreasinglyglobalizedworld,cross-nationalcomparisonsareparticularlyusefulforhelpingtoinvestigatethewaysinwhichexistingtheoriesmightneedtobemodifiedtoapplyinnon-Westerncontexts,andalsotoguardagainsttheuncriticalapplicationoftheoriesgeneratedintheWestinothercontexts.Usinganexamplefrommyownwork,thesecondsectionwillillustratehowcross-nationalcomparativeresearchcancontributetode-westernizingacademicthoughtandgeneratingnewtheoriesappropriatetonon-Westerncontexts.ThisresearchaddressesthequestionofwhetherexistingtheoriesofcommunicationcanbeappliedintheChinesecontextorwhethernewtheoriesofcommunicationarenecessary.UsingcommentdataonnewsstoriescollectedfromWeiboandFacebookAPIs,thisresearchperformedacontentanalysisofnetizenscommentsinordertoassesswhetherpoliticalspeechonWeiboandFacebookalignswithtraditionallyunderstooddifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternstylesofcommunication.Thethirdsectionwilllayoutsomeofthedifficultiesassociatedwithconductingcross-nationalcomparativeresearchofonlinecitizenmedia,includingaccountingfordemographic,socialandculturaldifferences;conductingresearchinmultiplelanguages,andchoosingappropriateplatformsandcasesforcomparison.IwilloutlinesomeofthequestionsIhavefacedindevelopingmythesisproject,whichexaminesthepotentialofsocialnetworkingsitesandmicroblogstoreinforceandredistributepowerindifferentpoliticalcontexts,aswellasthedifferentoptionsIconsideredinordertoconstructanappropriatecomparativesampleofonlinepoliticalpowerintheUSandChina.


CitizenMediaastheSiteofPost-humanitarianActionLingjuanFan,UniversityofManchester,UKTraditionally,humanitarianismhasbeenrestrictedtoWesterncountries,wherecitizenshavewitnessedthesufferingofdistantnon-Westernersas‘ironicspectators’(Chouliaraki,2013).DrawingonChouliaraki’sconcepts,thispresentationwillexaminetowhatextentthe‘technologizationofsolidarity’isleadingtotheemergenceandconsolidationof‘post-humanitarianism’intheChinesesociety.ZhuLing’scasestandsasaperfectexampleandallowsustoexaminehowtheInternethasbecomeasiteforChinesecitizenstomobilizeandaspiretoachievehumanitariangoals.In1994,ZhuLing,atalentedstudentatatopChineseUniversity,wasintentionallypoisonedtwicewithThalliuminherdormitory.ShewasmiraculouslysavedthankstotheelectroniccorrespondencebetweenZhu’sclassmatesandmedicalexpertsbasedinWesterncountries,whowereabletoidentifythecauseofherillnessthroughmedicalreportsexchangedovertheInternet.AlthoughthepolicewereabletoidentifythepersonresponsibleforZhu’spoisoningafterthediagnosis,theirinvestigationwassoonsuspended.Since1995,netizenshavebeenattheforefrontofcampaignagainsttheperceivedpoliceindifferenceinthiscase.Theyhavewidelydisseminatedinformationthroughtheir‘HelpZHULingFoundation’site,onlineforumsandsocialmedia.ThepresentationwillfocusonmethodologicalchallengesofapplicationandadaptationofWesterntheories/conceptstotheChinesecontext.Thetalkwillalsoaddressethicalconsiderationsinhandlingpersonalinformationhackedbyonlineactivistsforhumanitarianpurposes.


SocialMedia&EgyptianActivismAfterTheJanuary25thUprising:ASocialMovementTheoryApproachAdelAbdelGhafar,TheCentreforArabandIslamicStudies,TheAustralianNationalUniversity/TheAmericanUniversityinCairo.Therehasbeenagrowingbodyofresearchontheimpactofsocialmediaonthe2011Egyptianuprising,howevermuchlessattentionhasbeengiventograssrootsactivismsincethen.Thispresentationusesasocialmovementtheoryapproachtoinvestigatetwocasestudiesofcausesthathaveutilizedsocialmediatoadvancetheiraims,namely,the‘NoToMilitaryTrials’campaignandthe‘EndSexualHarassment’campaign.ThepresentationseekstohighlightthecontinuedconvergencebetweencitizenmediaandactivismpotentlyconceptualizedbyEgyptianactivistHossamelHamalawywhoarguesthat‘inadictatorship,independentjournalismbydefaultbecomesaformofactivism&thespreadofinformationisessentiallyanactofagitation’(http://www.arabawy.org/).Conceptually,thepresentationusestheframingperspectiveofsocialmovementtheorytoshowhowactivistshaveusedcognitiveprocessesofrealityconstructiontorallypeoplearoundtheirrespectivecauses.ThepresentationwillarguethattheeffectiveuseofTwitterhashtags,suchas,#NoMilTrialsand#EndSHhavebeensuccessfulinrallyingsupport.Usingtheconceptsofsocialmovementdiffusionandspillover,thepresentationwillaimtohighlighthowsomeactivistsfromeachcauseinadvertentlyjointheothercause,bringingwiththemtheirtacticsandnetworks.Methodologically,thispresentationusesdatagatheredonafieldworktripinEgypt(January–October2013)whichincludesinterviewswithactivists,aswellascontentanalysisofnewsarticles,tweetsandhashtags.TwitteranalyticstoolssuchasTweetReach,Tweetbinder,TweetcategoryandHashtracking,areusedtoassessthereachandimpactoftweetsandhashtags.Inthesameperiod,traditionalmediaisresearchedtoassesstheconvergenceanddivergenceofrelatednewsstories,andtheimpactofcitizenjournalismininfluencingtraditionalmedia.Tothatend,newsstoriesintheindependentEgyptiandailyAlMasryAlYoum,relatedtobothcampaigns,arecollatedandcontentanalysisofthemisundertaken.Thepresentationaimstohighlighttwomainlimitationsofthemethodologiesutilized.Thefirstisthatbyinterviewingactivistsandconductingcontentanalysisoftheirtweets,activiststhemselvescarrytheirownbiaseswhichwouldseepintotheircontent,potentiallycausingdistortions.Thesecondisthatassessingtheimpactofsocialmediaonmobilizationandquantifyingitcanbeproblematic.Byhighlightingthemethodologyanditslimitations,thispresentationaimstocriticallyassess,andengagewiththeattendeeson,thesemethodologicalissues,consideringhowtheycanpotentiallybeovercome.


Lookingat2013:ARevolutionaryYearintheSaudiTwittersphereLeighLlewellynGraham,ColumbiaUniversity,USInJanuary2013,thirtywomenwereappointedtotheShuraCouncil,SaudiArabia’sprimarylegislativebodyandhighestlegalauthorityundertheking.TheinaugurationwasmemorializedonTwitterwhenanultraconservativemaleclericpostedamisogynistictweetaboutthefemalecouncilmembers,callingthem“prostitutes”astheyenteredthechambers.Thetweetwentviral.Whilethestateremainedsilent,theTwittersphererespondedwithabacklash.Thispaperprovidesayear-in-reviewlookatrevolutionarydevelopmentswithinSaudisocietythroughthelensofcitizentweets.Throughout2013,politicalpushbackcontinuedonlineandwasparalleledofflinebysustainedpublicconversationandsignificantlegalaction.InAugust,thekingdompasseditsfirstdomesticviolencelawandinOctober,anonlinecampaignwentofflinewhenwomendefiedthecustomarybanonwomendrivingandgotbehindthewheel.Severalfemalecyberactivistsweredetainedandarrested;however,theywerealleventuallyreleased.ThecampaignhighlighteddiscontinuitiesbetweennormativeandlegalbehaviourandtheneedforeducationaboutSaudicitizens’rightsandresponsibilitiesunderthelaw.Sucheventshavedrawninternationalattentionandsupportfromhumanrightsorganizations.However,fewconnectionshavebeenmadebetweenTwitter’sroleinpubliceducationandshiftinglegalandsocialpracticesinSaudiArabia.SaudiArabiahasthehighestpenetrationofactiveTwitterusersintheworld,accountingfor4.1percentofglobaluse.TwitterisagalleryofcommentaryoncontemporarySaudisocialissues.Women,inparticular,havechallengedlongstandingexclusionfromstatepoliticsthroughproductionofavibrantbodyofonlinediscourse.SocialnetworksitessuchasTwitter,Facebook,andYouTubemaybeunderstoodascuratedpublicspaces,andonlinediscoursethereinmaybeapproachedasartifactsondisplay.Onlinediscourseasartifactembodiesamashupoflinguistic,visual,temporalandculturalmeaning.Thus,itmaybeviewedasaproductofmaterialintercoursewithinalargerhistorical,materialistframework.Thispaperpresentsonlineethnographyasatooltouncoversuchcontemporaryartifacts.Ifwesituateatweetasanartifactsomewherebetweenobjectandperformance,wecanexamineitonmultiplelevels.DifferentanalyticalapproachesmaybeviabletohelpusmakesenseoftheInternet'sdynamicecologyasalocusofcontemporarysociallifewhereculturalimaginationisatplayandpoliticalexpressionhappens.Bycraftingnewlensesofinquiryandchallengingclassicnotionsof"beingthere"and"doingfieldwork,"thispaperrepositionsethnographicresearchinthedigitalage.


GooglingforHeroes:UsingSearchEngineAccessoryToolstoStudyPoliticalTurmoilinEgyptDouniaMahloulyandFilippoTrevisan,UniversityofGlasgow,UKThispaperdrawsonESRCcomparativecross-countryresearch(http://voterecology.com)ofuserbehaviourtohighlightthechallengesandopportunitiesinvolvedinusingsearchengineaccessorytools(GoogleTrends)tostudytheroleofsearchasanalternativeinformationsourceintimesofpoliticalturmoil.WhiletheuseofsocialmediaduringtheArabSpringhasbeenatthecentreofextensivescholarlyscrutinysince2011,thereisstilladearthofworkexaminingtheroleofsearchenginesinthesecrises.Usingdatacollectedforastudyoftheimpactofsearchonthepoliticalinformationenvironmentinfourdifferentcountries(theUK,theUnitedStates,ItalyandEgypt),thispaperaddressestheparticularityoftheEgyptiancasebyexaminingsearchtrendsforkeytopicsfromthe2012presidentialelectioncampaignuntilthe2013post-revolutionarycoupd’état.BysettingthebehaviourofsearchengineusersinthecontextofEgypt’spost-revolutionarymediaecology,thisstudyarguesthatEgypt’s“wired”citizensusedtheInternettodeveloptheirowninformationalagenda,escapingtheframesimposedbythenewsmediaoutletsandtraditionalpoliticalinstitutions.Inparticular,searchrecordscollectedthroughGoogleTrendsshowedthatEgyptianuserswerefarmorelikelytosearchforinformationaboutpoliticalactivistsandprotesterskilledduringthedemonstrationsthanforcontentaboutpoliticiansandinstitutionsmoregenerally.Asthepopularityofactivistsandrevolution“martyrs”extendedintosocialmediaplatforms,wherepagesandhashtagsdedicatedtothesefiguresbecamecrucialnodesofonlinepoliticaldiscourse,thispaperproposesanewapproachtostudytheinformationaltrajectoriesofkeymessagesconnectedtolargescalerebellionsacrossdifferentformsofmassmedia.Finally,thispapershowsthatuser-generatedcontentcaninfluencenewsframingwhen“legacy”mediaseektoaugmenttheircredibilityandlegitimacyamongcitizens.


OnlinePoliticalSatireastheCaseofCivicResistanceinaPost-SovietSpaceGalinaMiazhevich,LeicesterUniversity,UKThedemocratizingpoweroftheInternethasbeenattheheartofpublicdebatesinceitsadvent.Anoptimisticviewpointonthepotentialofthee-governmentande-infrastructure(Rheingold,1993)goeshandinhandwithamorescepticalaccount(e.g.Morozov,2011)aboutthedemocratizingpotentialoftheinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICT).ThisstudyinvestigateswhethertheInternetcanbeturnedintoaneffectivetoolfordemocratizationandcivicmobilizationinacontextinwhichdifferentialsinpowerrelationsareparticularlyacute(theformerSovietUnion).Itoffersthefirstthree-waycomparativestudyofnewmedia’sdemocratizingpotentialinthreepost-Sovietstates–Russia,UkraineandBelarus.Theycanbeextremelyinformativeabouttheusageofnewmediaanditsdemocraticpotentialintransitionalsocieties.Evenmoreso,astheyhaveembarkedondivergingpoliticalpathways:Belarusisanauthoritariandictatorship;theUkraineisanaspiringdemocracy,whichcanpotentiallybetakenoverbyacreepingauthoritarianismandtheRussianstatewithits‘virtualdemocracy’.Insightsintothepotentialofsocialmediainthesecountriesforfosteringcivicengagementandsocialchange,aswellasthelimitationstothatpotential,canbegainedfrominvestigatinghowcitizensinthesecountriesuse,produceandrelatetothepoliticalsatireonline.Theissuesofbroaderconcernare:whethertheInternetwillbeabletofillthedemocraticgapintransitionalsemi/authoritarianstatesandwhetheritcanchallengethenormofgovernmentcontrolandself-censorship?Anumberofmethodologicalchallengesencounteredduringmyresearchinclude:anephemeralityofthedata(mostofthecasesofonlinepoliticalsatireIdiscussarenolongerontheweb);difficultyinestablishingpopularityofthecases;tracingthesourcesfromwherethepoliticalsatireemerges,andassociatedethicalissues(endangeringactivists,etc.).


DiscoursesofHatredinRussianSocialMedia,CivicResistanceandAnti-extremistLegislation:TheCaseofvk.comAndreyPavlov,RussianStateUniversityfortheHumanities,RussiaSocialmediaplaysakeyroleintheprocessofusers’self-identificationandcreatessituationalorstableformsoftheirsolidarity.Overthelastdecade,socialmediainRussiahasbeenincreasinglydeployedasatoolofcivicandpoliticalmobilization,includingprotestmovementsandavastrangeofnon-institutionalprojects.Atthesametime,networkingmobilizationfrequentlygoeshandinhandwithvarioustypesofverbalandvisualaggressionagainstdifferentgroupsof“others”and“enemies”.Suchaggressionmaybetraditionallydefinedashatespeechor,moreprecisely,asdiscoursesofhatred.WhilehatespeechinRussianoff-linemediaandotherinstitutionalformatsofpubliccommunicationwasrestricted,socalled“Runet”(theRussian-languageinternet)carriedonunrestrictedforalongtime.Inmorerecentyears,however,theenforcementofanti-extremistandanti-separatistlegislationhasledtoincreasingonlinecensorshipinRussia.Themostpopular-andthemostprosecuted-socialnetworkingsiteinRussiaisvk.com,alocalversionofFacebook,withasimilardesignandfunctions.Vk.comisused,notonlybycivicactivists,butalsobydifferentextremistforces.Mypresentationwillusevk.comtoexamineseveralempiricalandmethodologicalissueswithregardstoon-linecitizenparticipationinRussia,byaddressingthefollowingquestions:Whichmainhategroupsrecruitthereandwhichgroupsarevictimized?Whattypesofpoliticalandculturalconflictsareimpliedbydigitalhatred?WhichcasesofmediatisedhatespeechareprosecutedbyRussianauthoritiesandwhichremaininvisibletothem?Finally,howshouldwedistinguishbetweenextremistdiscoursesofhatredandcivicresistanceinsocialmedia?Somesamplesofdigitalhatredwillbeanalyzedinordertoanswerthesequestions,aswelltodiscusstheapplicabilityofcriticaldiscourseanalysisasconceptualizedbyT.vanDijk–anotionofdiscoursetoreveal,primarilyoff-line,languageandsocialpracticesofdiscrimination–forstudiesofinternethatred.DrawingonN.Fraser’snotionofpublicsphereoppositionandcounterpublicsandL.Gudkov’sideasofnegativeidentityandnegativemobilization,IwillproposesomepossibleexplanatorymodelsforacorrelationbetweenhatespeechandRussiannetworkingactivism.


TheSilenceoftheLambs:Researching‘AnonymousBulgaria’JuliRone,EuropeanUniversityInstituteinFlorence,ItalyWhatisitliketoenterachatroomandrealisethatallparticipantsarechangingtheirnick-namestovariationsof‘silentlamb’asareactiontoyourappearance?Andthentohaveatwo-hourconversationwithsilentlamb,stilenlamb,siletlamb,silenlamb,Silentlamb,stilenlabmandaseriesofbots?Whatisitliketobeconstantlysuspectedasapoliceagentwhiletryingtodoqualitativeinterviewing?Inmypresentation,IwouldliketodiscussthechallengesofresearchingAnonymousBulgariaanditsinvolvementintheinitialphaseofprotestsinthecountry(June,2013).Ipayparticularattentiontoissuesofsamplingrespondentsfromanorganizationwhichisatthesametimeincrediblyopen,un-hierarchicalandsecretive.HowdidIapproachpeoplefromAnonymousandwhatkindofpowerimbalanceswerecreatedbydisclosingmypersonalinformationtorespondentswhoremainedanonymous?Howwastrustbuiltinacompletelydigitalenvironment?Inaddition,Iwillfocusontheethicalchallengesofdoingresearchonsubversivehackingandthefinebalancebetweenempathyasapprovalandempathyasunderstanding.Mostimportantly,IwilldiscussthehostilityofAnonymousBulgaria,notonlytotraditionalaudio-visualandprintmedia,butalsotoestablishedpublicintellectualsandbloggers.HastheendofWeb2.0come?AndcanAnonymousmovebeyondhackingandestablishamoreopenanddemocraticmodelofinformationsharing?ByanalyzingthewaysinwhichthegroupusedFacebookpagesanddifferentonlineforumstoshamepublicintellectualsandthewholeNGOsector,Iwilltrytoshowhowtheverynotionsof‘civilsociety’and‘citizenmedia’areundergoingacriticaltransformationinanatmosphereofradicalizedsuspicion.


Checkdesk:Sorting,DevelopingandDisseminatingCitizenReportingintheMENARegionDimaSaber,BirminghamCentreforMediaandCulturalResearch,BirminghamCityUniversity,UKAstheArabregioncontinuestofacepolitical,socialandeconomicuncertainty,socialmediaandcitizenjournalismhavecometotheforefrontasameansfororganisingsocialmovementsthatchallengeexistingpowersandprotestforsocialchange.Althoughthe2011uprisingshavedemonstratedhownewinformationandcommunicationtechnologiescanprovideaneffectivechannelfordissent,Arabcitizensstillneedsupporttoestablishpracticesofevidence-basedjournalism,limittheeffectsofrumorsandmisinformation,andplayamoreeffectiveroleinthedemocratisationofpoliticalcommunication.Whilethereisaconsensusamongmediascholarsthatadvancementsintechnologyhaveopenedupanewkindof“participatorycitizenry”,wherecivicparticipationisenhancedbymediaandinformationliteracy(Culver&Jacobson,2012),effectivecitizenparticipationintheArabworldstillneedsastrongercultureofcriticalenquiryifgovernmentsaretobecomemoreaccountable,andcitizensmoreinformed.Thisisparticularlytrueamidsetbackstodemocratictransitionsthathavechallengedassumptionsabouttheeffectivenessofonlinepublishinginaidingdemocraticchange,especiallyincountrieslikeEgyptandSyria.ThispresentationexamineshowtheBirminghamCentreforMediaandCulturalResearch,partneredwithMeedan,andsixArabmediaoutletsinLebanon,Syria,Egypt,JordanandPalestineaimingtoimproveawarenessofissuesrelatingtomedialiteracyamongcitizenjournalistsintheMENAregion.Mytalkwillpresentthelogicalmatrixthatwasset-upfortheoverallassessmentoftheprojectwithspecificquantitativeandqualitativeindicatorsofachievement.WhileitwasrelativelyeasytodesignaquantitativemonitoringandevaluationframeworkbasedonbackgrounddataoftheArabcitizenjournalismlandscape(demographicsofinternetusers,penetrationrates,devicescitizensuseandaverageamountoftimetheyspendonline),theassessmentofoverallobjectives,suchasthelevelofawarenessinissuesrelatedtomedialiteracy,ortheimprovementofcriticalthinkinginnewsmediaconsumption,requiredamorein-depth,qualitativeevaluation(one-to-oneinterviews,focusgroups,preandposttrainingsurveys).ThispresentationwillexplorebothmethodologicalapproachesbylookingattheworkundertakenbyBCMCRanditspartnersoverthecourseoftwoyears,supportingandtrainingtheregion’snextgenerationoftransparencyadvocates.


TheCursedSoldiersonourStreets:CitizenMedia,theCaseofPolandKatarzynaWalasek,JagiellonianUniversity,PolandIn1989,aspartofthepost-communisttransformationinPoland,themostimportantnationalholiday,NationalIndependenceDay-celebratedon11thNovembertocommemoratetheestablishmentofTheSecondPolishRepublic-wasrestored.Fromthatmoment,PolandandthePoleshavebeguntoslowlyrevivethenationalpast.Newmuseumshaveemerged,suchastheMuseumoftheWarsawUprisingandtheMuseumoftheHomeArmyandTheInstituteofNationalRemembrancewascreated.Since1989,Polishsocietyasawhole,andyoungpeopleinparticular,begandiscussingtopicspreviouslybannedunderthecommunistrule.Thispresentationispartofabroaderfieldofmemory,remembranceandcommemorationinEasternEurope.InPoland,andelsewhereintheregion,nohomogeneouscultureofremembranceexists;rather,memoryofthepastisafieldofrapidchangesandconstantnegotiation.Iwillarguethatdiscussingthepastisnotmerelyamatterofmemory,butthatbydiscoveringtheirpast,Polesarealsobuildingthepresent.Mypresentationlooksatoneexampleofsuchbuildingofthepresent:thesymbolicreturnofthe“Cursedsoldiers”,thatis,thesoldiersoftheAnti-communistresistanceinPoland.ThecommemorationoftheCursedsoldiersintoday’sPolandtakesplacelargelyduetotheeffortsofnon-professional,ordinarycitizens.Mypresentationwilldiscussoneimportantsiteofthesoldiers’commemorationthroughcitizenaction:graffitiinthestreetsofPolishcities.Iapproachthesoldiers’commemorationusingJanAssmann’sconceptofcommunicationmemory.AccordingtoAssmann,communicativememoryissharedandconveyedwithinasocialgroupdefinedbycommonmemoriesofpersonalinteractionthroughthemeansofverbalcommunicationoveratimespanofonlyabout80years.Poland’sgrandchildrenweretoldstoriesabouttheAnti-communistresistancebytheirgrandparents,whichtheyusedtounderstandtheirownbelonging.Listeningtothestorieswasalsoameanstoencouragethegenerationoftheirparentstotalkaloudaboutformerlyforbiddentopics.Inmyanalysisofthegraffiti,Iwillarguethatcitizenmediaisasitewherecommunicativememoryisvisualizedinthepublicspace.


FullSwingofCommercialization,TwilightofGrassrootsCreativity:AnAlternativeViewontheChineseMicro-movieWaveJianfeiZhao,ZhejiangUniversityofMediaandCommunications,P.R.China/UniversityofLeeds,UKAmicro-movieisatypeofparticipatoryvideo,producedbyprivatecitizens(or‘grassroots’astheyarecalledinChina)anddistributedontheinternet.Theterm‘micro-movie’firstemergedinDecember,2010ontheChineseInternetandwasusedasamarketingtoolbyacarfirmtoadvertiseitsnewproducts.Thisflexibletermquicklyspreadtoincludeshortfilms,flashmobsandothershort-lengthvideosshownonvideo-sharingwebsites.Ithasnowbecomeaformofmatureculturalindustry,aninternetculturalwave,andisinvolvedinvariousareasofinfluence:professionalfilmworkers,grassrootscreativity,audience,industryandgovernment.Somenewsreportsandresearchdiscussandanalysetheformalizationandcommercializationofthemicro-movieoptimistically.Theybasetheseanalysesonindustrycircumstanceandfilmmakers’individualcareerdevelopment.However,inmyopinion,theprocessofformalizationandcommercializationofthemicro-moviecouldultimatelymeantheendofgrassrootscreativity.Inmypresentation,Isuggestthatweneedtochangethefocusofanalysisfromindustryandfilmmakerstotheactualcontentsofthemicro-movies.Bysurveyinghowthecontentofmicro-movieshaschangedduringrecentyears,Iarguethatchallengestotheofficialideologyandmainstreamaestheticaredeclining.Thischangeincontentcouldreflectcertainquestionsrelatingtothemicro-movieindustry.Firstly,howdoesthecapital’sambiguousimaginationofaudienceinfluencetheirinvestment?Secondly,willthetightergovernmentsupervisionofinternetvideosuppresstheboomofthemicro-movie?Whatistheirattitudeandstrategy?Thirdly,hasthemotivationofprofitunderthetightregulationsoftheChinesegovernmentmeantthatallmicro-moviemakersandvideo-sharingwebsitesaredevelopingaformofself-censorshipthatisevenmorerestrictivethanthatimposedbytheChinesegovernment?Willgrassrootscreativitydeclineundersuchformsofself-censorship?Methodologically,mypresentationwillmakeahorizontalcomparisonbetweenmicro-moviesandundergroundfilms.Iwillsuggestthatthesixgenerationsofdirectorsandtheirmovieslostmostcreativityduringtheprocessofformalizationandcommercialization,whiletheChinesefilmindustryseemstobemoreandmoreprosperous.


DelegateList

AbdelGhafar,Adel TheCentreforArabandIslamicStudies,TheAustralianNationalUniversity/TheAmericanUniversityinCairo.

Baker,Mona CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,UniversityofManchester,UK

Beretta,Sara UniversitàdiMilanoBicocca,ItalyBolsover,Gillian OxfordInternetInstitute,UKButler,Lauren RochdaleLawCentre,Manchester,UKChang,Li-Wen CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,

UniversityofManchester,UKLi,Dang CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,

UniversityofManchester,UKFan,Lingjuan CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,

UniversityofManchester,UKGoea,Teodora SchoolofSocialSciences,Universityof

Manchester,UKGraham,Leigh ColumbiaUniversity,USHendry,Gabi CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,

UniversityofManchester,UKHernández,Tania CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,

UniversityofManchester,UKJakimow,Malgorzata SchoolofSocialSciences,Universityof

Manchester,UKJohnson,Rebecca CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,

UniversityofManchester,UKJohnston,John Goldsmith’sCollege,UniversityofLondon,UKKuntsman,Adi DepartmentofAnthropologyand

ResearchInstituteforCosmopolitanCulturesTheUniversityofManchester,UK

Miazhevich,Galina LeicesterUniversity,UKMahouly,Dounia UniversityofGlasgow,UKNicoarea,Georgiana UniversityofBucharest,Romania

Nim,Evgenia AltaiStateUniversity,RussiaNordin,Astrid UniversityofLancaster,UKPavlov,Andrey

RussianStateUniversityfortheHumanities,Russia

PérezGonzález,Luis CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,UniversityofManchester,UK

Rone,Juli EuropeanUniversityInstituteinFlorence,Italy


Saber,Dima BirminghamCentreforMediaandCulturalResearch,BirminghamCityUniversity,UK

Sadler,Neil CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,UniversityofManchester,UK

Walasek,Katarzyna JagiellonianUniversity,PolandWilliams,Diane CentreforTranslation&InterculturalStudies,

UniversityofManchester,UKYusupova,Marina RussianandEuropeanStudies,Universityof

Manchester,UKZhao,Jianfei ZhejiangUniversityofMediaand

Communications,P.R.China