How do authoritarian regimes react facing the omnipresence and common use of new media? Are new and social media a real “tool for societal change” or just another “opiate for the masses?” And how can digital communication be exploited in terms of social innovation and policy-making processes? In the face of the conflict in Ukraine, the events of the “Arab Spring” and protests in Venezuela we decided to measure the connections on the axis: new media – new social movements – and the modes of awareness they create. In this Global Trends we have chosen to highlight a few dimensions of these recent events and confront them with a closer look through the most popular theories related with new media and new social movements.
Having past the first decade of the 21st century we are witnesses to a new emerging global perspective on Africa. Despite the continued poverty and ongoing conflicts (fueled by outside forces) in some parts, Africa is increasingly portrayed as “the new emerging market.” Not only for resources but also for its labor force. As the continent becomes the new focus of the global economy we will analyze how African states prepare for this renewed attention. Who are the drivers of such trends within and outside Africa? And how do African institutions respond to the growing need of cooperation?Global Trends
VOLATILITY, NICHES AND HYBRIDS: THE NEW MEDIA IN ACTION – interview with Paolo Mancini
“What is the revolution? The digitalization!” – claims Professor Paolo Mancini. And, yes: there is no doubt that the role of new media, that…
MARIO DIANI & ELENA PAVAN: SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL INNOVATION. A COMPLEX ECOLOGY; ESSAY
In these last years, a growing amount of attention has been paid to the use of digital communication as a tool for increasing participation…
RICHARD HORNIK: THE END OF ATOMIZATION. EFFORTS BY AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES TO CONTROL SOCIAL MEDIA FALL SHORT OF THEIR DESIRED ENDS; ESSAY
The rise of Facebook and other social media outlets has led to spirited debates as to their impact on the ability of political authorities…
AGNIESZKA ROTHERT: CONNECTING WITH COMPLEXITY, ESSAY
We live in an ever-changing world. Everything is shifting, connecting and disconnecting and interconnecting. The world is becoming more and more complex. The most…
AGNIESZKA FILIPIAK, ELIZA KANIA: NEW AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE’S EMPOWERMENT
Theorists’ views on the role of new media in stepping towards societal change are significantly divided. Starting from the optimists’ unmarked delight and hopes…
DOROTA PIONTEK: NEW MEDIA OLD THEORIES; COMMENTARY
Prof. Dorota Piontek provides a commentary to this article: For almost 100 years of research, starting with printed newspaper, then cinema, radio and especially…
Regional Issues
Victor Adetula : REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND THE QUEST FOR PEACE AND STABILITY IN AFRICA
Can there be regional integration if there is no peace and stability? Professor Victor Adetula gives a detailed overview of the steps taken by…
Ian Taylor: REGIONAL GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA
Scholars of African Studies have since long discovered that African leaders have adapted the Western concept of the state to their own needs and…
Eric Irungu: THE AFRICAN UNION AND AFRICAN REGIONAL INTEGRATION
It is obvious there is a great need to coordinate the integration efforts on the African continent. In this essay, Eric Irungu ponders on…
Konrad Czernichowski: PERSPECTIVES OF MONETARY INTEGRATION IN EASTERN AFRICA
The merging of the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)…
Sehlare Makgetlaneng: THE POSSIBILITY OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN CUSTOMS UNION IN INTEGRATING SOUTHERN AFRICA. THE VIEW OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
The merging of the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)…
THE END OF THE PAN-AFRICAN ILLUSIONS – Interview with Rolf Langhammer
“Without more financial resources for trade facilitation coming from outside, natural barriers to freer trade within Africa would be still paramount. Africa’s regional integration…
