Digital information, conflict and democracy

Rethinking the role of community media in conflict transformation and peacebuilding

“…Efforts to validate the local knowledge in peacebuilding efforts have also culminated into what is commonly referred to as the “local‐turn” in contemporary peacebuilding literature (Belloni, 2012; Paffenholz, 2015). Furthermore, rapidly evolving “digital peacebuilding” ecosystems have altered how people experience, define, and engage with conflict and peacebuilding efforts (Hirblinger, 2023; Schirch, 2020/2021). For instance, the literature on “PeaceTech” shows how peace‐oriented platforms draw from Big Data, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, etc., to process information that is intended to prevent or mitigate conflicts (Alavi et al., 2022; Firchow et al., 2017).…”

“…What is significant is that community media holds the potential to integrate more voices into discussions around processes of conflict transformation and peacebuilding. As discussed elsewhere, the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs), social media, AI, algorithms, and digitally supported media platforms have also disrupted and reorganized the entire media landscape (Alavi et al., 2022; Gibson, 2022; Schirch, 2021). Furthermore, linking peace outcomes with specific forms of mediated participation has become a challenge given the imbalances in online information access/use (Onguny, 2019).…”

“…However, these discursive practices have significantly altered content production, dissemination, and consumption beyond simple news consumption due to the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs), social media platforms, machine learning technologies, and other digitally supported media (Alavi et al., 2022; Gibson, 2022; Schirch, 2021; Wu et al., 2019). Meanwhile, increasing “platform dependence” has meant that various media outlets must rethink their content delivery models in ways that sometimes threaten liberal democratic ideals (Meese, 2023).…”