greek independent media and the antifascist movement
DESCRIPTION
Paper by Sky Croeser and Tim Highfield, presented by Sky Croeser at Social Media & Society conference, Toronto, September 2014.TRANSCRIPT
Greek independent media and the an.fascist movement
Dr Sky Croeser [@scroeser] Cur'n University
Dr Tim Highfield [@6mhighfield] Queensland University of Technology
Social Media & Society Toronto, 27 September 2014
Outline • Research context: the Mapping Movements project and the
Greek case study. • Methods: combining online and offline, qualita.ve and
quan.ta.ve. • Findings: – Greek an.fascist ac.vism relies on a complex media ecosystem.
– Local networks are part of diverse issue and place-‐based networks.
– Greek ac.vists make significant use of their own media infrastructure.
Mapping Movements • Interna.onal studies of social movements and their use of
online technologies. • Blend of fieldwork and digital methods, qualita.ve and
quan.ta.ve analyses • Case studies: – Occupy Oakland. – 2013 World Social Forum, Tunis. – An.fascist movement and Indymedia Athens.
Context for Greece • 2008 protests sparked by the murder of teenager Alexandros
Grigoropoulos by police. • Austerity policies + racism from mainstream and far-‐right
par.es. • AUacks on independent and mainstream media. • This provides an interes.ng case study: both representa.ve
of broader trends, and with important par.culari.es.
Research design • Mixed-‐methods approach: – Perspec.ves from movement par.cipa.ons – Online presenta.on of movement
• Interviews and fieldwork • Online issue networks, social media discussions – Issuecrawler – Hashtag and place-‐oriented keyword searches on TwiUer
Digital methods • Issuecrawler [hUp://issuecrawler.net]
• Iden.fy issue and solidarity networks by following hyperlinks from a seed list of sites discussing a par.cular issue.
• Issue networks highlight the resources, organisa.ons, media, and other websites (including social media pla\orms) that are connected, cited, or invoked through hyperlinks from these sites.
• TwiUer • Issue-‐related keyword and hashtag archives captured through TwiUer API using yourTwapperKeeper.
Fieldwork and interviews • Semi-‐structured interviews, tailored to par.cipants' posi.ons
within the movement rather than standardised. • Snowball sampling with mul.ple star.ng points. • Par.cipant observa.on: a willingness to take part in ac.ons is
vital.
Case study
• Wider context of an.fascist movement and the 11 April 2013 shut down of Athens Indymedia, Radio Entasi, and 98FM. • Fieldwork in Greece during this period. • Issue networks and TwiUer ac.vity tracked April-‐June 2013 around Indymedia, an.fascist sites, related hashtags and keywords.
Findings Indymedia issue network: clusters of sites around open radio and squats Connec.ons to an.fascist – an.-‐Golden Dawn – sites
Findings An.fascist issue network. Cluster of local Greek websites – alterna.ve and mainstream media – and ac.vist blogs. Connec.ons to interna.onal media and movements (refugee rights, pro-‐immigra.on)
Findings 1. Social media use in the an.fascist movement is built on a
diverse ecosystem in which commercial pla\orms are important, but so are highly-‐localised sites
– Especially sites associated with local squats – these form a .ghtly interlinked group within the issue network.
Findings 2. An.-‐racist work is strongly .ed to other an.-‐fascist
networks, both in Greece and throughout Europe.
– The an.-‐fascist movement in Athens is part of a solidarity network, where connec.ons are made not just between local movements around the same issue, but na.onal and interna.onal groups with thema.c and ideological overlaps, such as pro-‐immigra.on and refugee rights’ groups.
Findings 3. Independent and alterna.ve media pla\orms play a central
role in the Greek case, in response to distrust of commercial media:
– Ci.zen-‐led pla\orms (including Indymedia, blogs, and open radio) afford ac.vists an outlet for dis.nct and independent voices.
– Independent infrastructure gives ac.vists more control and autonomy than major social media pla\orms.
Conclusion • Benefits of our methodological approach: – The Mapping Movements cases draw on a combina.on of quan.ta.ve and qualita.ve approaches, and of complementary offline and online research.
– These allow us to consider mul.ple perspec.ves and framing of movements.
– These methods include ac.vists engaged only with either the online or the physical aspects of the movements.
Conclusion • Online media use is, in fact, .ghtly .ed to place, rather than being a
space of borderless freedom, even in democra.c states. – Importance of the local – squats, open radio, postering – and the impact of shutdowns.
– Connec.ons to interna.onal groups and movements show solidarity and movement context, but the local shapes organisa.on.
– Choice of media also confirms ac.vist concerns over independence, data control, and surveillance.
Mapping Movements • Dr Sky Croeser hUp://skycroeser.net @scroeser Global Jus'ce and the Poli'cs of Informa'on: The struggle over knowledge (Routledge, 2014)
• Dr Tim Highfield hUp://.mhighfield.net @.mhighfield