Special issue of World of Media is out
18.07.2024
In 2024, the special issue of World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies ‘Digital intersectionality in the Middle East and North Africa’ guest edited by Professor Glenn Muschert and Dr. Duygu Özsoy brings together original research papers that study digital divide in its different aspects. In the introductory article, the guest editors, describing the peculiarities of the political, economic, and cultural aspects of the development at the inter- and intra-country levels, note the substantial pervasion of the digital inequalities in the region. They also emphasize the importance of investigating the phenomenon of the slow growth of the the region's digital economy despite the widespread usage of social media, taking into account the gender-based digital inequalities, affecting the status of the digital economy, and, in general, note the importance of carrying out more digital inequality research on MENA and adapting digital inequality research methods developed in the West to Arab-dominated and highly diverse MENA regions.
Professor Teresa Velázquez García-Talavera, The Autonomous University of Barcelona and Professor Lola Bañon Castellón, University of Valencia (Spain) in their paper The Knowledge Society and Information and Communication Technologies in MENA countries: Diachrony and Comparison detect the changes which have occurred in the degree of implementation of Knowledge Society, its link to the right to information, communication, and cyberspace and its management in the countries of MENA region. The authors conclude that the empowerment of ICT is the key resource for strengthening civil society and its access to the Knowledge Society.
While the researchers from Spain examine the current situation related to the knowledge society in MENA countries, Dr. Viola Gjylbegaj from Abu Dhabi University (UAE) and Dr. Ahmed Farouk Radwan from the University of Sharjah (UAE) focus on the use of YouTube as a tool for self-education in a definite country - the UAE - in the paper titled The Use of YouTube for Self-Education in the UAE: Equal Opportunities, Different Interests, and Outcomes. In the context of abundance of digital platforms and social media which provide users with multiple opportunities to interact and access various information and services, the authors discover the reasons and motivations that lead users to adopt YouTube as a tool for self-education and note that YouTube has the potential to provide equal opportunities for self-education.
The paper Digitization and Political Participation in the MENA Region: Egypt, Kuwait, and Tunisia was prepared by a research group, which brings together Dr. Tatiana Karabchuk, Associate Professor of Economic Sociology at the United Arab Emirates University, Associate Visiting Researcher at the HSE (Russia), Visiting Professor at the Hitotsubashi University (Japan), Dr. Maha Bashri, Associate Professor of Communication at the UAE University, Aizhan Shomotova, PhD Candidate at the UAE University, and Branislav Radeljić, Professor of International Relations, at the UAE University, and Visiting Professor at Nebrija University (Spain). Highlighting the link between digitization and political participation in Egypt, Kuwait, and Tunisia, the paper provides valuable insights for understanding the intricate nature of online political participation and the paradox between digital engagement and traditional political involvement: despite the expansion of digital media, traditional political interest and participation has decreased.
Dr. Sameera T. Ahmed, Associate Professor at the UAE University, in the paper Using a Multi or Metaliterary Approach to Enhance Digital Agency amongst Undergraduates: A UAE Case Study considers how information, digital, media and news literacies can combine under the multi or metaliteracy framework to promote digital agency. In her research, Dr. Sameera T. Ahmed finds out how digital practices of students constitute digital agency, which consists of digital competence, confidence and accountability, and notices that a holistic approach to academic and media literacies will enhance the knowledge, skills and outlook of young digital consumers. Researchers from the same university, Ahmed S. Mansoori, Assistant Professor at UAE University and Muhammed Musa, Associate Professor at UAE University, in their paper Dwelling in a pandemic world: The role of new media in fostering anxiety and fear about COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, using both focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to explore internet and social media use patterns, find out and analyze reproduction of the second and third levels of digital divide among communities in the UAE during Covid-19 pandemic.
The last paper Falling Between the Cracks: Bedouin Students and the Digital Divide during the COVID-19 Crisis is authored by Dr. Hama Abu-Kishk, Sapir Academic College and Dr. Jonathan Mendels, The Mofet Institute's PLC R&D team (Israel). The researchers identify the types of digital divide experienced by Bedouin students in the period when schools and higher education institutions shifted to distance learning in the first half of 2020. In their paper, the authors find out that Bedouin students faced digital inequality, lacking the necessary prerequisites for distance learning, mainly due to limited access to digital devices and a stable internet connection. In light of this, the authors emphasize the need to address these challenges to ensure equitable and inclusive education for all.
The new issue is available here.
The scientific journal World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies has been published by the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University since 2009. World of Media represents a collection of original research in the field of media and journalism studies conducted by authors from diverse cities and institutions. World of Media is aimed at promoting the development of media and journalism studies in both national and global contexts, and stimulating a wider public interest in the journalism theories, methods, findings and applications generated by research in communication and allied fields.
In 2024, the special issue of World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies ‘Digital intersectionality in the Middle East and North Africa’ guest edited by Professor Glenn Muschert and Dr. Duygu Özsoy brings together original research papers that study digital divide in its different aspects. In the introductory article, the guest editors, describing the peculiarities of the political, economic, and cultural aspects of the development at the inter- and intra-country levels, note the substantial pervasion of the digital inequalities in the region. They also emphasize the importance of investigating the phenomenon of the slow growth of the the region's digital economy despite the widespread usage of social media, taking into account the gender-based digital inequalities, affecting the status of the digital economy, and, in general, note the importance of carrying out more digital inequality research on MENA and adapting digital inequality research methods developed in the West to Arab-dominated and highly diverse MENA regions. Professor Teresa Velázquez García-Talavera, The Autonomous University of Barcelona and Professor Lola Bañon Castellón, University of Valencia (Spain) in their paper The Knowledge Society and Information and Communication Technologies in MENA countries: Diachrony and Comparison detect the changes which have occurred in the degree of implementation of Knowledge Society, its link to the right to information, communication, and cyberspace and its management in the countries of MENA region. The authors conclude that the empowerment of ICT is the key resource for strengthening civil society and its access to the Knowledge Society.
While the researchers from Spain examine the current situation related to the knowledge society in MENA countries, Dr. Viola Gjylbegaj from Abu Dhabi University (UAE) and Dr. Ahmed Farouk Radwan from the University of Sharjah (UAE) focus on the use of YouTube as a tool for self-education in a definite country - the UAE - in the paper titled The Use of YouTube for Self-Education in the UAE: Equal Opportunities, Different Interests, and Outcomes. In the context of abundance of digital platforms and social media which provide users with multiple opportunities to interact and access various information and services, the authors discover the reasons and motivations that lead users to adopt YouTube as a tool for self-education and note that YouTube has the potential to provide equal opportunities for self-education.
The paper Digitization and Political Participation in the MENA Region: Egypt, Kuwait, and Tunisia was prepared by a research group, which brings together Dr. Tatiana Karabchuk, Associate Professor of Economic Sociology at the United Arab Emirates University, Associate Visiting Researcher at the HSE (Russia), Visiting Professor at the Hitotsubashi University (Japan), Dr. Maha Bashri, Associate Professor of Communication at the UAE University, Aizhan Shomotova, PhD Candidate at the UAE University, and Branislav Radeljić, Professor of International Relations, at the UAE University, and Visiting Professor at Nebrija University (Spain). Highlighting the link between digitization and political participation in Egypt, Kuwait, and Tunisia, the paper provides valuable insights for understanding the intricate nature of online political participation and the paradox between digital engagement and traditional political involvement: despite the expansion of digital media, traditional political interest and participation has decreased.
Dr. Sameera T. Ahmed, Associate Professor at the UAE University, in the paper Using a Multi or Metaliterary Approach to Enhance Digital Agency amongst Undergraduates: A UAE Case Study considers how information, digital, media and news literacies can combine under the multi or metaliteracy framework to promote digital agency. In her research, Dr. Sameera T. Ahmed finds out how digital practices of students constitute digital agency, which consists of digital competence, confidence and accountability, and notices that a holistic approach to academic and media literacies will enhance the knowledge, skills and outlook of young digital consumers. Researchers from the same university, Ahmed S. Mansoori, Assistant Professor at UAE University and Muhammed Musa, Associate Professor at UAE University, in their paper Dwelling in a pandemic world: The role of new media in fostering anxiety and fear about COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, using both focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to explore internet and social media use patterns, find out and analyze reproduction of the second and third levels of digital divide among communities in the UAE during Covid-19 pandemic.
The last paper Falling Between the Cracks: Bedouin Students and the Digital Divide during the COVID-19 Crisis is authored by Dr. Hama Abu-Kishk, Sapir Academic College and Dr. Jonathan Mendels, The Mofet Institute's PLC R&D team (Israel). The researchers identify the types of digital divide experienced by Bedouin students in the period when schools and higher education institutions shifted to distance learning in the first half of 2020. In their paper, the authors find out that Bedouin students faced digital inequality, lacking the necessary prerequisites for distance learning, mainly due to limited access to digital devices and a stable internet connection. In light of this, the authors emphasize the need to address these challenges to ensure equitable and inclusive education for all.
The new issue is available here.
The scientific journal World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies has been published by the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University since 2009. World of Media represents a collection of original research in the field of media and journalism studies conducted by authors from diverse cities and institutions. World of Media is aimed at promoting the development of media and journalism studies in both national and global contexts, and stimulating a wider public interest in the journalism theories, methods, findings and applications generated by research in communication and allied fields.