Showing papers in "Information, Communication & Society in 2017"
TL;DR: It is argued that the algorithmic imaginary – ways of thinking about what algorithms are, what they should be and how they function – is not just productive of different moods and sensations but plays a generative role in moulding the Facebook algorithm itself.
Abstract: This article reflects the kinds of situations and spaces where people and algorithms meet. In what situations do people become aware of algorithms? How do they experience and make sense of these algorithms, given their often hidden and invisible nature? To what extent does an awareness of algorithms affect people's use of these platforms, if at all? To help answer these questions, this article examines people's personal stories about the Facebook algorithm through tweets and interviews with 25 ordinary users. To understand the spaces where people and algorithms meet, this article develops the notion of the algorithmic imaginary. It is argued that the algorithmic imaginary – ways of thinking about what algorithms are, what they should be and how they function – is not just productive of different moods and sensations but plays a generative role in moulding the Facebook algorithm itself. Examining how algorithms make people feel, then, seems crucial if we want to understand their social power.
596 citations
TL;DR: This paper synthesises and extends emerging critical thinking about algorithms and considers how best to research them in practice, arguing that these methods are best used in combination in order to help overcome epistemological and practical challenges.
Abstract: More and more aspects of our everyday lives are being mediated, augmented, produced and regulated by software-enabled technologies. Software is fundamentally composed of algorithms: sets of defined steps structured to process instructions/data to produce an output. This paper synthesises and extends emerging critical thinking about algorithms and considers how best to research them in practice. Four main arguments are developed. First, there is a pressing need to focus critical and empirical attention on algorithms and the work that they do given their increasing importance in shaping social and economic life. Second, algorithms can be conceived in a number of ways – technically, computationally, mathematically, politically, culturally, economically, contextually, materially, philosophically, ethically – but are best understood as being contingent, ontogenetic and performative in nature, and embedded in wider socio-technical assemblages. Third, there are three main challenges that hinder research ...
596 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on another part of the hybrid media system and explore how politicians in four countries (AT, CH, IT, UK) use Facebook and Twitter for populist purposes.
Abstract: Populism is a relevant but contested concept in political communication research. It has been well-researched in political manifestos and the mass media. The present study focuses on another part of the hybrid media system and explores how politicians in four countries (AT, CH, IT, UK) use Facebook and Twitter for populist purposes. Five key elements of populism are derived from the literature: emphasizing the sovereignty of the people, advocating for the people, attacking the elite, ostracizing others, and invoking the ‘heartland’. A qualitative text analysis reveals that populism manifests itself in a fragmented form on social media. Populist statements can be found across countries, parties, and politicians’ status levels. While a broad range of politicians advocate for the people, attacks on the economic elite are preferred by left-wing populists. Attacks on the media elite and ostracism of others, however, are predominantly conducted by right-wing speakers. Overall, the paper provides an in-d...
489 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that concerns about the legitimacy of these techniques are not satisfactorily resolved through reliance on individual notice and consent, touching upon the troubling implications for democracy and human flourishing if Big Data analytic techniques driven by commercial self-interest continue their onward march unchecked by effective and legitimate constraints.
Abstract: This paper draws on regulatory governance scholarship to argue that the analytic phenomenon currently known as ‘Big Data’ can be understood as a mode of ‘design-based’ regulation. Although Big Data decision-making technologies can take the form of automated decision-making systems, this paper focuses on algorithmic decision-guidance techniques. By highlighting correlations between data items that would not otherwise be observable, these techniques are being used to shape the informational choice context in which individual decision-making occurs, with the aim of channelling attention and decision-making in directions preferred by the ‘choice architect’. By relying upon the use of ‘nudge’ – a particular form of choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives, these techniques constitute a ‘soft’ form of design-based control. But, unlike the static Nudges popularised by Thaler and Sunstein [(20...
426 citations
TL;DR: The article argues that the authors need to look beyond the algorithms themselves, as a technical and material presence, to explore how the notion or concept of the algorithm is also an important feature of their potential power.
Abstract: This article explores the questions associated with what might be thought of as the social power of algorithms. The article, which introduces a special issue on the same topic, begins by reflecting...
378 citations
TL;DR: In this article, how does one value something one cannot and often does not want to see? How do contemporary digital platforms and their infrastructures of connectivity, evaluation, and surveillance affect this rel...
Abstract: How does one value something one cannot and often does not want to see? How do contemporary digital platforms and their infrastructures of connectivity, evaluation, and surveillance affect this rel...
366 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an integrative definition of populism, as well as a theoretical analysis of the interplay between populist communication logic and online opportunity structures, and shed light on how populist movements may relate to various political parties.
Abstract: Populism continues to gain traction in politics but there has been relatively little research on how it plays out on the Internet The special issue at hand aims at narrowing this gap of research by focusing on the close relation between populism and online communication This introduction presents an integrative definition of populism, as well as a theoretical analysis of the interplay between populist communication logic and online opportunity structures The individual contributions discuss how populist actors may benefit from the Internet They analyze how political leaders and extreme parties use populist online communication The authors also shed light on how populist movements may relate to various political parties They finally demonstrate which groups of social media users are more susceptible to populism than others and what effects populist online communication may have on citizens We hope that this special issue will contribute to the discussion on what is arguably one of the larges
228 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a theoretical classification of functions of different Internet applications and plattforms in right-wing populism to understand how the Internet is seen and used by populists and how it contributes to populism.
Abstract: This article develops a theoretical classification of functions of different Internet applications and plattforms in right-wing populism Its aim is to understand how the Internet is seen and used by populists and how it contributes to populism Online communication by both populist leaders or organizations and non-organized actors is discussed Main functions include the representation of the relationship between leaders and ‘the people,’ justifying the exclusion of outgroups, the conceptual elaboration of the right-wing populist ideology, developing a right-wing populist lifestyle and identity, and circumventing the traditional media
213 citations
TL;DR: In the past decade, anti-vaccination rhetoric has become part of the mainstream discourse regarding the public health practice of childhood vaccination as mentioned in this paper, and these utilise social media to fost...
Abstract: Over the past decade, anti-vaccination rhetoric has become part of the mainstream discourse regarding the public health practice of childhood vaccination. These utilise social media to fost...
210 citations
TL;DR: This paper conducted a semi-automated content analysis of politicians' social media statements and found that populism manifests itself in a fragmented form and is mostly used by political actors at the extremes of the political spectrum (both right-wing and left-wing), by opposition parties, and on Facebook.
Abstract: Parties are adapting to the new digital environment in many ways; however, the precise relations between populist communication and social media are still hardly considered. This study compares populist communication strategies on Twitter and Facebook employed by a broad spectrum of left-wing, center, and right-wing political actors in six Western democracies. We conduct a semi-automated content analysis of politicians’ social media statements (N = 1400) and find that populism manifests itself in a fragmented form and is mostly used by political actors at the extremes of the political spectrum (both right-wing and left-wing), by opposition parties, and on Facebook.
197 citations
TL;DR: This article proposed the concept of "platformed racism" as a new form of racism derived from the culture of social media platforms and their design, technical affordances, business models and policies.
Abstract: This article proposes the concept ‘platformed racism’ as a new form of racism derived from the culture of social media platforms ‒ their design, technical affordances, business models and policies ...
TL;DR: It is suggested that a source is necessary to correct misperceptions about the causes of the Zika virus on both Facebook and Twitter, but the mechanism by which such correction occurs differs across platforms.
Abstract: Social media are often criticized as serving as a source of misinformation, but in this study we examine how they may also function to correct misperceptions on an emerging health issue. We use an ...
TL;DR: This paper found that older adults considered social support exchanged via digital media to be real support that cannot be dismissed as token, and they especially used and valued digital media for compani... older adults especially valued digital technology for compan...
Abstract: How do older adults mobilize social support, with and without digital media? To investigate this, we focus on older adults 65+ residing in the Toronto locality of East York, using 42 interviews lasting about 90 minutes done in 2013–2014. We find that digital media help in mobilizing social support as well as maintaining and strengthening existing relationships with geographically near and distant contacts. This is especially important for those individuals (and their network members) who have limited mobility. Once older adults start using digital media, they become routinely incorporated into their lives, used in conjunction with the telephone to maintain existing relationships but not to develop new ones. Contradicting fears that digital media are inadequate for meaningful relational contact, we found that these older adults considered social support exchanged via digital media to be real support that cannot be dismissed as token. Older adults especially used and valued digital media for compani...
TL;DR: In this paper, a scholarly presentation of targeted drone strikes, percussion playing robots and couple-making dating sites are presented as case studies for case studies in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Abstract: At an earlier point in history, one might have been taken aback by a scholarly presentation of targeted drone strikes, percussion playing robots and couple-making dating sites as case studies for s...
TL;DR: This paper used the South African student-led campaign known as Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) to explore youth activism and counter-memory via social networking site Twitter and found that despite the digital divide in South Africa, and limited access to the internet by the majority of citizens, Twitter was central to youth participation during the RMF campaign, reflecting the politics and practices of countermemory but also setting mainstream news agendas and shaping the public debate.
Abstract: This article uses the South African student-led campaign known as Rhodes Must Fall, commonly referred to simply as #RMF, to explore youth activism and counter-memory via social networking site Twitter. The RMF campaign took place at the University of Cape Town and comprised student-led protests, which campaigned to remove the statue of British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes, as activists argued that it promoted institutionalized racism and promoted a culture of exclusion particularly for black students. Through a qualitative content analysis of tweets and a network analysis using NodeXL, this article argues that despite the digital divide in South Africa, and limited access to the internet by the majority of citizens, Twitter was central to youth participation during the RMF campaign, reflecting the politics and practices of counter-memory but also setting mainstream news agendas and shaping the public debate. The article further argues that the #RMF campaign can be seen a collective project of res...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose an empirical definition of political communication style with the aim of identifying characteristics of the populist political communication styles, which are characterized by the presence of populist ideology fragments and traits, but were not strictly related to the leade
Abstract: In the hybrid media system, many processes are reforming political communication: popularisation, disintermediation, personalisation, intimisation and of course populism This study proposes an empirical definition of political communication style with the aim of identifying characteristics of the populist political communication style Between 2015 and 2016, the Twitter timelines of the main political leaders in Italy were analysed for 16 months Applying an MCA allowed us to identify two key factors that characterise the communication styles of leaders: (1) communication mode, comparing negative and positive; and (2) communicative focus, comparing personalisation and political/campaign The intersection of these two factors resulted in four different political communication styles: ‘Engaging’, ‘Intimate’, ‘Champion of the people’ and ‘Man of the street’ The latter two were clearly characterised by the presence of populist ideology fragments and traits, but were not strictly related to the leade
TL;DR: The 2016 U.S. presidential election as discussed by the authors showed that populist political candidates from the right and the left, including Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, changed the tenor and direction of the 2016 presidential contest in the US.
Abstract: Undoubtedly, populist political candidates from the right and the left, including Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, changed the tenor and direction of the 2016 presidential contest in the US. Much l...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the lives and careers of video game live broadcasters, especially those who gain their primary real-world income through this practice, and explore the sociotechnical entanglements that exemplify this new media form.
Abstract: This paper explores the lives and careers of video game live broadcasters, especially those who gain their primary real-world income through this practice. We introduce the dominant market leader – the platform Twitch.tv – and outline its immensely rapid growth and the communities of millions of broadcasters, and tens of millions of viewers, it now boasts. Drawing on original interview data with professional and aspiring-professional game broadcasters (‘streamers’), we examine the pasts, presents, and anticipated futures of streamers: how professional streamers began streaming, the everyday labour practices of streaming, and their concerns and hopes about the future of their chosen career. Through these examinations we explore the sociotechnical entanglements – digital intimacy, celebrity, content creation, and video games – that exemplify this new media form. Live streaming is an online practice expanding in both production and consumption at immense speed, and Twitch and its streamers appear to be at the forefront of that revolution.
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative study with 18 refugees from Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan is presented in order to investigate the uses and purposes of social media associated to the different areas of refugee integration in the Netherlands.
Abstract: The refugee crisis has spurred the rapid development of creative technology and social media applications to tackle the problem of refugee integration in Europe. In this article, a qualitative study with 18 refugees from Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan is presented in order to investigate the uses and purposes of social media associated to the different areas of refugee integration in the Netherlands. The results indicate that social media networking sites were particularly relevant for refugee participants to acquire language and cultural competences, as well as to build both bonding and bridging social capital. Another important finding concerns the role of government, host society and the agency of refugee actors in determining the way refugees experience social media. Building on these results, a theoretical model for analyzing refugee integration through social media is demonstrated.
TL;DR: This paper explores the place of the algorithm in shaping and engaging with the contemporary everyday via an exploration of some particular instances of algorithmic sorting and presentation as well as considering some of the ways these contribute to shaping the authors' everyday practices and understandings.
Abstract: Our everyday practices are increasingly mediated through online technologies, entailing the navigation and also oft-simultaneous creation of large quantities of information and communication data. The scale and types of activities being undertaken, the data that are being created and engaged with, and the possibilities for analysis, archiving and distribution are now so extensive that technical constructs are necessarily required as a way to manage, interpret and distribute these. These constructs include the platforms, the software, the codes and the algorithms. This paper explores the place of the algorithm in shaping and engaging with the contemporary everyday. It does this via an exploration of some particular instances of algorithmic sorting and presentation as well as considering some of the ways these contribute to shaping our everyday practices and understandings. In doing so, it raises questions about understandings of agency and power, shifting world views and our complex relationship wi...
TL;DR: The authors analyzed the uses of Twitter by populist presidents in contemporary Latin America in the context of the debates about whether populism truly represents a revolution in public communication, that is, overturning the traditional hierarchical model in favor of popular and participatory communication.
Abstract: In this paper, we analyze the uses of Twitter by populist presidents in contemporary Latin America in the context of the debates about whether populism truly represents a revolution in public communication – that is, overturning the traditional hierarchical model in favor of popular and participatory communication In principle, Twitter makes it possible to promote the kind of interactive communication often praised in populist rhetoric It offers a flattened communication structure in contrast to the top–down structure of the traditional legacy media It is suitable for horizontal, unmediated exchanges between politicians and citizens Our findings, however, suggest that Twitter does not signal profound changes in populist presidential communication Rather, it represents the continuation of populism’s top–down approach to public communication Twitter has not been used to promote dialogue among presidents and publics or to shift conventional practices of presidential communication Instead, Twit
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that, as a consequence of how the Web 2.0 has changed political campaigns, the theoretical foundations of political campaigns have changed as well, as well.
Abstract: Starting from the contribution to the discussion on a fourth age of political communication, here we argue that, as a consequence of how the Web 2.0 has changed political campaigns, the theoretical...
TL;DR: Insight into user experiences and perceptions within the still under-researched area of inquiry is offered into users’ motivations for using Tinder and how users evaluated their potential matches.
Abstract: Mobile dating applications such as Tinder have exploded in popularity in recent years. On Tinder, impression management begins with a motivation to download the app, the choice of one’s profile pho...
TL;DR: In this article, the role of social media in women's self-starter careers has been explored in a series of interviews with 22 women working in digital media/creative fields.
Abstract: The profound growth of independent employment in post-industrial economies has paralleled a vibrant ethos of self-enterprise – one captured by the prodding assertion that ‘we’re all entrepreneurs now.’ Amidst ubiquitous technologies of production, distribution, and promotion, the ideal of entrepreneurialism has taken on a political valance: that is, individuals are ostensibly ‘empowered’ to pursue their passion projects in digital environments. This project brings gender politics to the fore of contemporary discourses of online entrepreneurship. We draw upon in-depth interviews with 22 independently employed female professionals, the majority of whom work in digital media/creative fields, to understand the role of social media in their self-starter careers. Many interviewees were compelled to develop and present online personae that conformed to traditional prescriptions for femininity – a quandary that we term the digital double bind. An updated version of the career impasse that female workers f...
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship between the use of social media, attitudinal strength, perceived opinion agreement with social ties, and willingness to discuss a political issue in different online and offline contexts.
Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between the use of social media, attitudinal strength, perceived opinion agreement with social ties, and willingness to discuss a political issue in different online and offline contexts. Unlike the anonymous environment of some Internet forums, social media are closely tied to the relationships and activities of everyday life. Social media increasingly make ties from offline contexts persistent online, and, because of the ambient nature of these technologies, awareness of the opinions, interests, and activities of social ties has become pervasive. As such, the use of social media is likely to affect everyday conversation about political issues in on- and offline contexts, including the home, workplace, social gatherings with friends, community meetings, and on social network sites (SNSs). Based on a national probability survey, we find that the use of SNSs (i.e., Facebook and Twitter) has a direct, negative relationship to deliberation in many offline settings...
TL;DR: It is found that younger people with less information-seeking self-efficacy were more susceptible to experience information overload, and motivations for media consumption and information retrieval strategies in the Internet that imply IO were identified.
Abstract: As the Internet provides massive amounts of heterogeneous information, people may perceive this medium as challenging. The difficulty to evaluate and select relevant information increases as more and more diverse sources and content are available. Information overload (IO) may be the consequence. The research presented here gives a first comprehensive overview of possible indicators for IO in the context of online news exposure. Based on an online survey (N=419), we found that younger people with less information-seeking self-efficacy were more susceptible to experience IO. Additionally, we identified motivations for media consumption and information retrieval strategies in the Internet that imply IO. With our results, we contribute to a further understanding of IO and provide an important basis for future research needed to face the challenges resulting from the rising media diversity.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors address the question of what type of political content can trigger reactions from electoral candidates' followers on Facebook, and they examine the effect of content, content, emotional tone, etc.
Abstract: The study addresses the question of what type of political content can trigger reactions from electoral candidates’ followers on Facebook. Citizens’ reactivity is increasingly important in contemporary political communication. The politicians’ posts can reach the wider public through the citizens’ public reactions. While we have extended knowledge about mass media reactivity, citizens’ political reactivity on social media is highly underexplored. This study is intended to fill this gap by examining what type of political content can trigger reaction from followers on politicians’ Facebook pages. The data contain 7048 Facebook posts by 183 single-member district candidates posted during the Hungarian general election campaign in 2014. The unit of analysis is the individual Facebook post, and the dependent variables are the numbers of likes, comments, and shares. The independent variables are the structural (text, picture, video, etc.) and substantial (content, emotional tone, etc.) characteristics ...
TL;DR: This article analyzed online political communication by the right-wing populist movement Pegida and German political parties and found that there are considerable overlaps in the audiences of the Pegida movement and the new challenger in the party system, AfD.
Abstract: Previous research has acknowledged the use of social media in political communication by right-wing populist parties and politicians Less is known, however, about its pivotal role for right-wing social movements which rely on personalized messages to mobilize supporters and challenge the mainstream party system This paper analyzes online political communication by the right-wing populist movement Pegida and German political parties We investigate to which extent parties attract supporters of Pegida, to which extent they address topics similar to Pegida and whether their topic use has become more similar over a period of almost two years The empirical analysis is based on Facebook posts by main accounts and individual representatives of these political groups We first show that there are considerable overlaps in the audiences of Pegida and the new challenger in the party system, AfD Then we use topic models to characterize topic use by party and surveyed crowdworkers to which extent they perc
TL;DR: This work develops and test a framework for analyzing the effect of privacy concerns on sharing that considers institutional and social privacy threats, trust and social-hedonic as well as monetary motives and explores the privacy threats associated with Internet-mediated sharing.
Abstract: Internet-mediated sharing is growing quickly. Millions of users around the world share personal services and possessions with others ‒ often complete strangers. Shared goods can amount to substantial financial and immaterial value. Despite this, little research has investigated privacy in the sharing economy. To fill this gap, we examine the sharing–privacy nexus by exploring the privacy threats associated with Internet-mediated sharing. Given the popularity of sharing services, users seem quite willing to share goods and services despite the compounded informational and physical privacy threats associated with such sharing. We develop and test a framework for analyzing the effect of privacy concerns on sharing that considers institutional and social privacy threats, trust and social-hedonic as well as monetary motives.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of social media on civic and political participation are examined, and the authors suggest that social networking sites are popular tools to engage citizens in political campaigns, social movements, and civic life.
Abstract: Social networking sites are popular tools to engage citizens in political campaigns, social movements, and civic life. However, are the effects of social media on civic and political participation ...