This book examines the complex and multidimensional relationship between culture and social media, and its specific impact on issues of identity and social movements, in a globalized world. Contemporary cyber culture involves communication among people who are culturally, nationally, and linguistically similar or radically different. Social media becomes a space for mediated cultural information transfer which can either facilitate a vibrant public sphere or create cultural and social cleavages. Contributors of the book come from diverse cultural backgrounds to provide a comprehensive analysis of how these social media exchanges allow members of traditionally oppressed groups find their voices, cultivate communities, and construct their cultural identities in multiple ways. This book will be of great relevance to scholars and students working in the field of media and new media studies, intercultural communication, especially critical intercultural communication, and academics studying social identity and social movements.

This book focuses on mediated intercultural communication in the context of globalization. Analyzing social and traditional media using qualitative, interpretive, and critical and cultural perspectives, contributors engage with diverse topics - ranging from hybrid identities in different communities, to journalistic collaborations in the global media landscape. In addition, the authors also examine the placeless and borderless communities of diaspora members, their transnational identities, and the social media stories that shape and are shaped by them.

This book focuses on mediated intercultural communication in the context of globalization. Analyzing social and traditional media using qualitative, interpretive, and critical and cultural perspectives, contributors engage with diverse topics - ranging from hybrid identities in different communities, to journalistic collaborations in the global media landscape. In addition, the authors also examine the placeless and borderless communities of diaspora members, their transnational identities, and the social media stories that shape and are shaped by them.

This book examines the complex and multidimensional relationship between culture and social media, and its specific impact on issues of identity and social movements, in a globalized world. Contemporary cyber culture involves communication among people who are culturally, nationally, and linguistically similar or radically different. Social media becomes a space for mediated cultural information transfer which can either facilitate a vibrant public sphere or create cultural and social cleavages. Contributors of the book come from diverse cultural backgrounds to provide a comprehensive analysis of how these social media exchanges allow members of traditionally oppressed groups find their voices, cultivate communities, and construct their cultural identities in multiple ways. This book will be of great relevance to scholars and students working in the field of media and new media studies, intercultural communication, especially critical intercultural communication, and academics studying social identity and social movements.

Incorporating chapters by some of the top researchers in communication, this book covers communication work specific to difficult conversations and challenging issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. The chapters include new theoretical frameworks, reviews of current research, and descriptions of ongoing research efforts from communication perspectives. Woven throughout the book is research that focuses on difficulties and challenges associated with communication about HIV/AIDS. The editors believe disseminating information about these communicative issues can help create a culture where attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours work together to reduce the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS as well as help individuals already infected more easily and effectively communicate with others. The hope is that these chapters will positively influence discussions about relational and sexual issues between partners and community discussions about social norms, stigma, and cultural perceptions of HIV/AIDS.

Stating that HIV/AIDS is a colossal public health problem is a vast understatement. Its effects extend to all reaches of the globe and its toll is enormous. , The most recent statistics on HIV infections, people living with HIV/AIDS, and AIDS-related deaths are jolting. Current realities, historical data, and future projections clearly indicate that much more action is needed to prevent new infections and curb the effects of HIV/AIDS. Rather than a single global strategy for HIV/AIDS prevention, programs must be developed and implemented with an awareness of local, regional, national, and international conditions. Our hope for this book is that additional insight into HIV/AIDS prevention can be garnered and the ideas generated here will spur new efforts and improve existing ones. The chapters in this book explore how health communication researchers and practitioners continue to play critical roles in lessening the spread of HIV and the devastating impacts of HIV/AIDS locally, regionally, and globally. The book's three sections-general prevention, global context, and specific contexts-address a range of topics. Chapters range from formative research to message construction and processing (e.g., difficulties in communicating statistical information, understanding risk messages), address geographical regions from Africa and Asia to Central America and the Caribbean, and examine specific contexts from university students to later-life adults as well as African Americans and persons living with HIV/AIDS. Because there is currently neither a cure for HIV/AIDS nor a vaccine to prohibit infection, the concluding chapter reinforces the book's main premises-behavior change as the key to prevention and health communication work as crucial to achieving such change.