Matti Pohjonen
Matti Pohjonen works at the intersection of digital anthropology, philosophy and data science. For the past 10 years, he has developed critical research approaches for understanding digital cultures globally. This has included, among other things, work on international news and blogging in India, mobile technology in East Africa, comparative research on online extremism and hate speech in Ethiopia and Europe, and exploring new methods in “big data” analysis and artificial intelligence for digital media research. He received his MA and PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where he also worked as a Lecturer in Global Digital Media (2018-2020), Senior Teaching Fellow (2006-2009) an AHRC-funded Post-Doctorate Research Fellow (2013). He was also previously a Researcher for the Programme for Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCLMP), at the University of Oxford (2013-2016), a Research Fellow (2015-2016) for the VOX-Pol Network of Excellence, and a Visiting Research Fellow (2017) at the Centre for Media and Communication (ZeMKI), at the University of Bremen. His work as a Senior Researcher (2016-2017) for Africa’s Voices Foundation, a not-for-profit research organisation launched out of University of Cambridge, was dedicated to developing innovative research and data analysis methods for hard-to-reach populations in East Africa.
Supervisors: Professor Mark Hobart and Professor Annabelle Sreberny
Supervisors: Professor Mark Hobart and Professor Annabelle Sreberny
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Kaikkiaan 13:sta artikkelista koostuvan kokonaisuuden ohjaavana periaatteena on ollut koota eri alojen asiantuntijoiden näkemyksiä ja muodostaa kattava kokonaiskuva monimuotoisesta ja moniulotteisesta ilmiöstä useissa eri konteksteissa. Kirjan artikkeleissa tarkastellaan suomalaista jihadismia, kansainvälistä terrorismia ja ei-valtiollista sodankäyntiä innovatiivisella tutkimusotteella.
Kirjoittajat käsittelevät aihepiiriä laajasti nostaen esiin myös varsinaista väkivallan käyttöä ja sodankäyntiä tukevia rakenteita, kuten varainkeruuta, rekrytointia ja viestintää. Teoksessa käsitellään myös jihadistisen liikehdinnän kannalta keskeisiä maantieteellisiä alueita, joissa Suomi osallistuu kansainväliseen rauhanturvaamiseen ja kriisinhallintaan.
The book starts with the premise that it is within the mass media where we can best understand how this change is imagined. From a kaleidoscope of perspectives the book interrogates this articulation and the myriad forms it takes – across India's newsrooms, television sets, cinema halls, mobile phones and computer screens.
Ethiopia represented an exceptional case study because of its distinct languages, which allowed gaining a realistic sample of the overall online debates focused on one country. We analysed Facebook statements made by Ethiopians, both in their homeland and abroad, in the run-up to and just after the general election on 24 May 2015. We found that fans or followers rather than people with any real influence online are mainly responsible for the violent or aggressive speech that appeared on Facebook pages in the sample. These individuals appear to use Facebook to vent their anger against more powerful sections of society. Around 18% of total comments in the sample were written by fans or followers compared with 11% of comments made by highly influential speakers (the owners of web pages). One fifth (21.8%) of hostile comments were grounded in political differences, only slightly higher than the overall average of 21.4% of all conversations containing hostile comments. Religion and ethnicity provoked fewer hostile comments (10% and 14% of overall comments in sample respectively).
The findings are based on the analysis of more than 13,000 statements posted on 1,055 Facebook pages between February and June 2015. They mapped Facebook profiles, pages, and groups that had 100 or more followers or likes or members, respectively. All content in the sample studied had to include an Ethiopian language and raise discussion topics about Ethiopia. We focused on popular spaces on Facebook, analysing such pages daily to map ongoing trends, but also included comments on some online random pages or pages capturing particular events, such as a protest or publicised speeches. Posts, status updates and comments were tracked over time.
The second part of the report explores how an historical event, the Battle of Adwa fought in 1896 against the Italian invasion, and which became a symbol of African resistance against colonialism, was remembered and discussed in social media. The analysis highlights the deep-rooted tensions and antagonism in a multi-ethnic society. Adwa triggered the reactivation of fault-lines such as the divide between Northerners and Southerners, as well as between Amharas and Tigrayans. While antagonistic statements remained a minority, their proportion increased, when compared with average conversations on Facebook. Also, despite that Facebook allows for a plurality of voices to coexist, this does not appear to have led to greater efforts towards understanding competing claims and interpretations. On the contrary, historical memory was often bent to serve existing ideological positions.
Kaikkiaan 13:sta artikkelista koostuvan kokonaisuuden ohjaavana periaatteena on ollut koota eri alojen asiantuntijoiden näkemyksiä ja muodostaa kattava kokonaiskuva monimuotoisesta ja moniulotteisesta ilmiöstä useissa eri konteksteissa. Kirjan artikkeleissa tarkastellaan suomalaista jihadismia, kansainvälistä terrorismia ja ei-valtiollista sodankäyntiä innovatiivisella tutkimusotteella.
Kirjoittajat käsittelevät aihepiiriä laajasti nostaen esiin myös varsinaista väkivallan käyttöä ja sodankäyntiä tukevia rakenteita, kuten varainkeruuta, rekrytointia ja viestintää. Teoksessa käsitellään myös jihadistisen liikehdinnän kannalta keskeisiä maantieteellisiä alueita, joissa Suomi osallistuu kansainväliseen rauhanturvaamiseen ja kriisinhallintaan.
The book starts with the premise that it is within the mass media where we can best understand how this change is imagined. From a kaleidoscope of perspectives the book interrogates this articulation and the myriad forms it takes – across India's newsrooms, television sets, cinema halls, mobile phones and computer screens.
Ethiopia represented an exceptional case study because of its distinct languages, which allowed gaining a realistic sample of the overall online debates focused on one country. We analysed Facebook statements made by Ethiopians, both in their homeland and abroad, in the run-up to and just after the general election on 24 May 2015. We found that fans or followers rather than people with any real influence online are mainly responsible for the violent or aggressive speech that appeared on Facebook pages in the sample. These individuals appear to use Facebook to vent their anger against more powerful sections of society. Around 18% of total comments in the sample were written by fans or followers compared with 11% of comments made by highly influential speakers (the owners of web pages). One fifth (21.8%) of hostile comments were grounded in political differences, only slightly higher than the overall average of 21.4% of all conversations containing hostile comments. Religion and ethnicity provoked fewer hostile comments (10% and 14% of overall comments in sample respectively).
The findings are based on the analysis of more than 13,000 statements posted on 1,055 Facebook pages between February and June 2015. They mapped Facebook profiles, pages, and groups that had 100 or more followers or likes or members, respectively. All content in the sample studied had to include an Ethiopian language and raise discussion topics about Ethiopia. We focused on popular spaces on Facebook, analysing such pages daily to map ongoing trends, but also included comments on some online random pages or pages capturing particular events, such as a protest or publicised speeches. Posts, status updates and comments were tracked over time.
The second part of the report explores how an historical event, the Battle of Adwa fought in 1896 against the Italian invasion, and which became a symbol of African resistance against colonialism, was remembered and discussed in social media. The analysis highlights the deep-rooted tensions and antagonism in a multi-ethnic society. Adwa triggered the reactivation of fault-lines such as the divide between Northerners and Southerners, as well as between Amharas and Tigrayans. While antagonistic statements remained a minority, their proportion increased, when compared with average conversations on Facebook. Also, despite that Facebook allows for a plurality of voices to coexist, this does not appear to have led to greater efforts towards understanding competing claims and interpretations. On the contrary, historical memory was often bent to serve existing ideological positions.