By Mahsa Alimardani | ( GlobalVoices.org) | – – A group of Iranian government hardliners, who typically stand at the forefront of policies curtailing freedom of expression, are demanding that Iran stop blocking Twitter. This sudden change of tune has very little to do with the rights of Iranian users. Rather, they are making this […]
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social media
After Orlando: Twitter Recoils from Islamophobia, Takes Aim at Gun Laws
By Saif Shahin | ( Foreign Policy in Focus/ Lobelog) | – – An analysis of the Twitter conversation over 12 hours on the day of the shooting reveals deep animosity against politicians for not legislating tougher gun controls. Twitter users responded to the shooting in Orlando, Florida, with an abundance of love and prayers […]
Why does Iran fear Kim Kardashian is a 007 Targeting Tehran?
Joya Mia Italiano and Elliot Hill | (TheLipTV2 Video Report) | – – “Iranian officials have reportedly accused Kim Kardashian West of working for Instagram as a secret agent. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp accused Kardashian West, during a news program Sunday night, of working with the social network’s CEO as part of a secret […]
Syrian independent media offers bold challenge to extremism
By Julia Taleb | ( Waging Nonviolence ) | – – On January 10, the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Syria, stormed the headquarters of Radio Fresh in Kafranbel and arrested its director Raed al-Fares and journalist Hadi Abdullah. The flag of the Syrian revolution was thrown on the floor and al-Nusra members […]
The Evolution of Social Media use in Mideast 5 years after the Youth Revolts
By Damian Radcliffe | (The Conversation) | – – In 2011, the Arab Spring rocked many parts of the Middle East. Regime change in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya saw the departure of long-established – seemingly untouchable – political leaders and inspired ripples of protest and disquiet in many neighboring Arab nations. The tumultuous ramifications are […]
Daesh/ ISIL in the Digital Realm v2.0
By Michael Degerald | ( History X ISIS ) Not long ago I wrote a piece that explored various facets of how Daesh, the organization, relates to the internet most broadly. The piece was timely and the debates it addressed have not died down. If anything, they’ve intensified. I also highlighted in that piece the […]
Iraq: Facebook Group debunks hate-provoking Urban Legends on Social Media
Mustafa Habib | (Niqash.org) | – – An extremist ‘hero’ with a mortar in his shoulder. A secret plot bringing the Iraqi Kurdish and the Islamic State together. Iraqi social media can prove it all. Or can it? After the recent execution of a leading Shiite Muslim cleric with pro-democracy views, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, in […]
Can Twitter be Sued for ‘Facilitating’ ISIL Terrorism?
By Bruce Baer Arnold | (The Conversation) | – – If ISIS and its supporters use Twitter to facilitate terrorist action or merely spread propaganda, is the social network liable? A lawsuit against Twitter in the United States in which a family is seeking compensation for the death of family member in an ISIS terrorist […]
Annual Informed Comment Fundraiser: Support Indie Journalism
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – It is that fundraising time of year again, folks. This year everyone who contributes $100 or more to Informed Comment by Paypal will receive a signed copy of the paperback version of my recent book, The New Arabs. Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor has kindly agreed […]