Social Media Uprising Egypt

Investigating technologic discourses in Egyptian protests

The OutlineInvestigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

Background:Social Media. Progress PackageBackground:

Media, Culture and Technological Discourse

Background:Cultural Resonance. Media

Agenda

Background:Media, Culture and

Technological DiscourseBackground:Social Media. Progress Package

Background:Cultural Resonance. Media

Agenda

Empirical Study:Content analysis. Traditional vs.

New Media

Background:Media, Culture and

Technological Discourse

Background:Media, Culture and

Technological Discourse

Addresses the role of citizens and their media channel in democracyAnd how this role is constructed and elevated in traditional mediaExceptionally prominent in Egyptian uprising

Why?Investigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

Why?Investigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protestsAddresses the role of citizens and their media channel in democracyAnd how this role is constructed and elevated in traditional mediaExceptionally prominent in Egyptian uprising

Research QuestionsWhat technological discourses were used by the media in regard to the Egyptian uprising?Was a difference between traditional and new media coverage present?

Research QuestionsWhat technological discourses were used by the media in regard to the Egyptian uprising?Was a difference between traditional and new media coverage present?

Addresses the role of citizens and their media channel in democracyAnd how this role is constructed and elevated in traditional mediaExceptionally prominent in Egyptian uprising

Why?Investigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

Theory

Theory: Media, Culture and Technological Discourse

General Pattern

All-changing breakthroughIn technological discourse progress is common (Gamson, 1989)Three approaches to relation of technology to societyTechnological Determinism Technology-driven; autonomous; basis for social change Frissen (1997)Social Constructionism Driven by social actors decide; transference of existing social structures Schiller (1999: 89).Technological Interactionism A combination of the two above leads to social change

Theory: Social Media. Progress PackageDiscourse and Interpretive PackagesPlurality of possible packagesSocial Progress/Change Package (Luders, 2008)New Media and individual ability to reach large audiencesConsumers = Producers & Producers = ConsumersOutcomes (Luders, 2008)Individuals co-produce and construct their own meanings/discoursesChange in power relations between individuals and mass mediaBasuki (1999) & Froehling (1999) personalised mass media are primary source of alternative information for journalists in the countries with severely low levels of freedom of speech

Theory: Cultural Resonance. Media AgendaNews selection and Agenda-BuildingTraditional Media – information selection, editorial decisions, publicationNew Media – direct and relatively unmediatedAgenda building thus deals with the relationship between real world events and the news production processNews and Agenda-SettingAgenda Setting deals with the impact of newsroom decisions on what citizens worry aboutIf selection of news stories is agenda-setting, then selection of what aspect of a certain news story will be highlighted (framing) is in fact second-level agenda-setting.

Theory: Cultural Resonance. Media AgendaAgenda-building and setting on Egyptian Uprising Novelty of social media and potential but yet uncertain role of it in mobilisation, networking and empowerment.Professional journalistic material was less accessible than armatureFreshness of updates , personalised, first-hand material and tractable extent of citizen mobilisation Very prominent role assigned to Twitter

Articles: “How to follow the Egyptian uprising on Twitter ”Visualisation:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2guKJfvq4uI&feature=player_embedded#at=35

Empirical StudyInvestigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

Empirical StudyInvestigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

ConfirmatoryDuring, and to lesser extent after the Egypt revolutions, the semantic relationship between twitter and (democratic) revolution became closer.ExploratoryRise of twitter revolution package Social idealistTechnological rationalist

Methodology: DataInvestigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

Traditional newspapersVolkskrant, Telegraaf, Trouw, NRC, Metro, de Pers, Spits 69588 articles

New MediaTwitter (400 random active users)Geenstijl, articles and comments (215205)

Methods of analysisInvestigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

ConfirmatoryAutomatic content analysisAsymmetric conditional probability measure

ExploratoryConcept-occurrence analysis

All the articles in time-frame studyTwitter revolution only found in

traditional mediaManual analysis

Inductive coding schemes

Confirmatory study Investigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

Exploratory study Investigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

Package the Twitter revolutionSocial idealist Technological rationalist

ConclusionsInvestigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests

LimitationsInvestigating technologic discourses in Egyptian

protests