This book is an extensive investigation of the complexities, ambiguities and shortcomings of contemporary digital activism. The author deconstructs the reductionism of the literature on social movements and communication, proposing a new conceptual vocabulary based on practices, ecologies, imaginaries and algorithms to account for the communicative complexity of protest movements. Drawing on extensive fieldwork on social movements, collectives and political parties in Spain, Italy and Mexico, this book disentangles the hybrid nature of contemporary activism. It shows how activists operate merging the physical and the digital, the human and the non-human, the old and the new, the internal and the external, the corporate and the alternative. The author illustrates the ambivalent character of contemporary digital activism, demonstrating that media imaginaries can be either used to conceal authoritarianism, or to reimagine democracy. The book looks at both side of algorithmic power, shedding light on strategies of repression and propaganda, and scrutinizing manifestations of algorithms as appropriation and resistance. The author analyses the way in which digital activism is not an immediate solution to intricate political problems, and argues that it can only be effective when a set of favourable social, political, and cultural conditions align. Assessing whether digital activism can generate and sustain long-term processes of social and political change, this book will be of interest to students and scholars researching radical politics, social movements, digital activism, political participation and current affairs more generally.

This groundbreaking collection advances understanding of the concept of media practices by critically interrogating its relevance for the study of citizen and activist media. Media as practice has emerged as a powerful approach to understanding the media's significance in contemporary society. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars in sociology, media and communication, social movement and critical data studies, this book stimulates dialogue across previously separate traditions of research on citizen and activist media practices and stakes out future directions for research in this burgeoning interdisciplinary field. Framed by a foreword by Nick Couldry and a substantial introductory chapter by the editors, contributions to the volume trace the roots and appropriations of the concept of media practice in Latin American communication theory; reflect on the relationship between activist agency and technological affordances; explore the relevance of the media practice approach for the study of media activism, including activism that takes media as its central object of struggle; and demonstrate the significance of the media practice approach for understanding processes of mediatization and datafication. Offering both a comprehensive introduction to scholarship on citizen media and practice and a cutting-edge exploration of a novel theoretical framework, the book is ideal for students and experienced scholars alike.

This book is an extensive investigation of the complexities, ambiguities and shortcomings of contemporary digital activism. The author deconstructs the reductionism of the literature on social movements and communication, proposing a new conceptual vocabulary based on practices, ecologies, imaginaries and algorithms to account for the communicative complexity of protest movements. Drawing on extensive fieldwork on social movements, collectives and political parties in Spain, Italy and Mexico, this book disentangles the hybrid nature of contemporary activism. It shows how activists operate merging the physical and the digital, the human and the non-human, the old and the new, the internal and the external, the corporate and the alternative. The author illustrates the ambivalent character of contemporary digital activism, demonstrating that media imaginaries can be either used to conceal authoritarianism, or to reimagine democracy. The book looks at both side of algorithmic power, shedding light on strategies of repression and propaganda, and scrutinizing manifestations of algorithms as appropriation and resistance. The author analyses the way in which digital activism is not an immediate solution to intricate political problems, and argues that it can only be effective when a set of favourable social, political, and cultural conditions align. Assessing whether digital activism can generate and sustain long-term processes of social and political change, this book will be of interest to students and scholars researching radical politics, social movements, digital activism, political participation and current affairs more generally.

This groundbreaking collection advances understanding of the concept of media practices by critically interrogating its relevance for the study of citizen and activist media. Media as practice has emerged as a powerful approach to understanding the media's significance in contemporary society. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars in sociology, media and communication, social movement and critical data studies, this book stimulates dialogue across previously separate traditions of research on citizen and activist media practices and stakes out future directions for research in this burgeoning interdisciplinary field. Framed by a foreword by Nick Couldry and a substantial introductory chapter by the editors, contributions to the volume trace the roots and appropriations of the concept of media practice in Latin American communication theory; reflect on the relationship between activist agency and technological affordances; explore the relevance of the media practice approach for the study of media activism, including activism that takes media as its central object of struggle; and demonstrate the significance of the media practice approach for understanding processes of mediatization and datafication. Offering both a comprehensive introduction to scholarship on citizen media and practice and a cutting-edge exploration of a novel theoretical framework, the book is ideal for students and experienced scholars alike.

"The definitive book on the social, political, and economic dimensions of data." - Vincent Mosco, author of The Smart City in a Digital World "An essential handbook for those invested in reclaiming our digital space." - Payal Arora, author of The Next Billion Users and FemLab Co-Founder In an age of datafication, the systematic collection, analysis and exploitation of data impacts all aspects of our social lives. Crucially, there are winners and losers in this. From access to services, to the risk of being wrongfully targeted, to our very understanding of the social world and what we think matters in it. Data Justice is a cutting-edge exploration of the power relations that lay at the heart of our datafied lives. It outlines the intricate relationship between datafication and social justice, exploring how societies are, will, and should be affected by data-driven technology and automation. From data capitalism and data colonialism, to data harms and data activism - this book is an expert guide to the debates central to understanding the injustices of life in a datafied society. It is also an urgent and impassioned call to challenge and reimagine these injustices. To work collectively to achieve a fairer and more just future. Data Justice is an essential resource for anyone working and studying across critical data studies, and anyone interested in the social consequences of big data, smart technology and AI. Dr Lina Dencik, Dr Arne Hintz, Dr Joanna Redden and Dr Emiliano Trere are co-Directors of the Data Justice Lab at Cardiff University.

"The definitive book on the social, political, and economic dimensions of data." - Vincent Mosco, author of The Smart City in a Digital World "An essential handbook for those invested in reclaiming our digital space." - Payal Arora, author of The Next Billion Users and FemLab Co-Founder In an age of datafication, the systematic collection, analysis and exploitation of data impacts all aspects of our social lives. Crucially, there are winners and losers in this. From access to services, to the risk of being wrongfully targeted, to our very understanding of the social world and what we think matters in it. Data Justice is a cutting-edge exploration of the power relations that lay at the heart of our datafied lives. It outlines the intricate relationship between datafication and social justice, exploring how societies are, will, and should be affected by data-driven technology and automation. From data capitalism and data colonialism, to data harms and data activism - this book is an expert guide to the debates central to understanding the injustices of life in a datafied society. It is also an urgent and impassioned call to challenge and reimagine these injustices. To work collectively to achieve a fairer and more just future. Data Justice is an essential resource for anyone working and studying across critical data studies, and anyone interested in the social consequences of big data, smart technology and AI. Dr Lina Dencik, Dr Arne Hintz, Dr Joanna Redden and Dr Emiliano Trere are co-Directors of the Data Justice Lab at Cardiff University.