Falling in and out of love with the Ukrainian Internet
High hopes & big promisesRise of social media and online activism in Ukraine
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Rise of social media & online activism
◉ Blogs & LJ communities◉ Facebook & YouTube
campaigns◉ Crowdsourcing
Explosion of digital activism during #Euromaidan
Protests evolved into a movement not least because of available Internet tools
The loss of ‘digital innocence’New threats and challenges for online activists
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“
The ability to scale-up quickly using digital infrastructure has
empowered movements to embrace their horizontalist and leaderless aspirations, which in
turn have engendered new weaknesses after the initial
phase of street actions ebbs. (Zeynep Tufekci, 2014)
Immersive conflict
Conflict extends into online spaces
Users become
overwhelmed, choose to withdraw
Becomes a part of our daily lives
Asmolov, 2016
Increasing polarization of users
◉Mobilization, but also increased tensions & heightened divisions
◉Growing tendency to remove those who disagree
◉Online “echo chambers” and radicalisation of views
‘Information warfare’
◉A fertile soil for fakes, manipulations and disinformation
◉Trolling◉Social network surveillance, pressure
on users and activists
Hate speech and online harassment
◉Brought to light by the Russia-Ukraine conflict
◉Proliferated not only by the media, but also by public figures and regular users
◉Present in different spheres of public discourse online
Towards becoming Internet realists Technology is an instrument, not a solution
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Internet-enabled technology is as much of a challenge to
democracy and peace in Ukraine, as it is an
opportunity
Any questions ?You can find me at◉ [email protected]◉ @TetyUAna
Thanks!
Credits◉References:• Tufekci, Zeynep. "Social Movements and Governments in
the Digital Age: Evaluating a Complex Landscape." Journal of International Affairs Fall/Winter 68.1 (2014): 1-18. Print.
• Asmolov, Grigory. Technology Is Changing How We Interact with and Experience Conflict. Budapest. 12 Apr. 2016. Center for Media, Data and Society, CEU School of Public Policy. Web. 6 June 2016. <https://cmds.ceu.edu/article/2016-04-15/technology-changing-how-we-interact-and-experience-conflict>.
◉Photo: Dima Kravchuk◉ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival