Social Media and the Politics of Reportage The 'Arab Spring'

by Bebawi, Saba; Bossio, Diana

• ISBN13: 9781137361394
• ISBN10: 1137361395
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-09-23
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Social Media and the Politics of Reportage explores the role of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs, within the field of global journalism with a focus on the recent protests during the 'Arab Spring'. The book is timely as it deals with the transforming media landscape during crisis reporting as a result of the rise of social media news coverage and usage. Specifically, this book focuses on the journalistic challenges, issues and opportunities that have arisen as a result of social media
increasingly being used as a form of crisis reporting.
The 'Arab Spring' has been represented in the mainstream media as a 'social media revolution'; the hyperbole of headlines claims a seismic shift away from the traditional news correspondence and towards an era of citizen journalism and social media reporting.

Author Biography

Saba Bebawi is Lecturer in Journalism at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. With interests in the role of political communication, public diplomacy and democracy-building, Dr Bebawi has previously held academic positions at Monash University in Australia and Zayed University in the UAE.

Diana Bossio is the convenor of the Media and Communications postgraduate programs at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. She obtained her PhD from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, which looked at government and media representations of post-September 11 insecurity. Dr Bossio also facilitates The Burn magazine and the undergraduate and postgraduate work experience programs.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Notes on Contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction; Saba Bebawi and Diana Bossio
PART I: INTERACTIONS AND CHALLENGES
1. Journalism during the Arab Spring: Interactions and Challenges; Diana Bossio
2. The Arab Spring on Twitter: Language Communities in #egypt and #libya; Axel Bruns and Tim Highfield
3. Al Jazeera English's Networked Journalism During the 2011 Egyptian Uprising; William Lafi Youmans
PART II: POLITICAL EFFECTS
4. Syrian Activists in Russia: The limits of Visibility in a Hostile Host Country; Mervi Pantti and Evgeniya Boklage
5. Twitter-ized Revolution: Extending the Governance Empire; Robert Imre and Stephen Owen
PART III: PREDICTING THE FUTURE
6. A Shift in Media Power: The Mediated Public Sphere During the 'Arab Spring'; Saba Bebawi
Index