This study employed focus groups to examine the ways Syrian refugees living in a large refugee camp in Jordan are using cell phones to cope with information precarity, a condition of information instability and insecurity that may result in heightened exposure to violence. These refugees are found to experience information precarity in terms of technological and social access to relevant information; the prevalence of irrelevant, sometimes dangerous information; inability to control their own images; surveillance by the Syrian state; and disrupted social support.This study examines how Syrian refugees living in Jordan are coping with what we call information precarity, a term referring to the condition of instability that refugees experience in accessing news and personal information, potentially leaving them vulnerable to misinformation, stereotyping, and rumors that can affect their economic and social capital. Syria has been called one of the largest humanitarian disasters in a generation as
This chapter focuses on the use of propaganda during times of war, prejudice, and political unrest. Part one distinguishes between persuasion and one of its forms, propaganda. The meaning-in-use of the term ‘propaganda' is essential to understanding its use over time. Part two presents relevant examples of propaganda from the past several centuries in the United States and Europe. These examples include episodes from World War I and II, among others. Propaganda is not a new tool of persuasion, and learning about its use in the past provides a comparison that helps in understanding its use in the present and future. Part three looks at recent examples of how propaganda occurs in actual use in online terrorist mediums by Al-Qaeda and by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
As societies become increasingly inter-connected, communities that do not bridge the digital divide find themselves at a disadvantage in the global market economy. Numerous telecenter initiatives in developing nations aim to foster prosperity through the adoption of information communication technologies (ICTs). This study documents how rural communities at varying levels of development in ten developing nations in Latin America and the Arab World create virtual community and reflect their identity through this new medium. Based on the premise that active participation improves the learning process, as suggested by constructionism theory, this study examined telecenter portals for evidence of user participation in digital literacy initiatives. Findings indicate that most telecenter portals offer few interactive applications, therefore limiting the opportunities for users to practice digital literacy skills and create virtual community.
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