Peacebuilding in the Age of New Media

Abstract

This editorial provides the historical context for the current state of peacebuilding media and introduces the articles featured in the issue.

War or peace tweets? The case of Pakistan

“…Theoretical framework: The peace/war framing approach Debates over the role of communication in response to conflict as well as the recent developments in violence prevention, have included media aside from journalism (Bratic, 2016;Orgeret and Tayeebwa, 2016). In light of the rapidly evolving media technologies, multiple non-journalistic media platforms, including social media, are considered complementary and alternative tools that adopt similar journalistic principles and theoretical frameworks (See Bratic, 2017).…”

“…The use of information communication technology in peacebuilding has been relatively unexplored and mostly anecdotal (Comninos, 2013). We are undergoing a communication revolution and as Bratic (2016) explains in recent years "the discourse in the field has shifted away from the traditional media and formal peacebuilding practice….Academic research and policy moved towards examining new ways technology can enhance democratization and social activism" (p. 1). These recent developments naturally became a central issue and the peace research community raised the question of whether digital media may encourage political violence or lead to peaceful solutions.…”

“…In the literature, during conflict the “media other than journalism had previously demonstrated their ability to influence social change in societies around the world (Bratic, 2017, p. 148). Therefore, following the work of Bratic (2016), Hackett (2011) and Orgeret and Tayeebwa (2016), we expand the use of media in peacebuilding and extend the peace journalism framework to social media and public platforms, like Twitter, to examine the communicative processes in light of peacebuilding practices on social media during a terrorist attack in Pakistan. In this context, we examine the extent to which fast-growing social media is being used to construct peace communication discourse, and therefore making an important empirical contribution to peace communication literature.…”

The Role of Media in Peacebuilding in Iraq After Isis

“…Until the end of the Cold War, when specialized, non-governmental, and intergovernmental agencies codified the practice of peacebuilding and media technologies advanced to allow non-professionals to develop and distribute their media, media did not become an intrinsic part of official peacebuilding. As a result, the practice of employing media for peacebuilding began in the latter decade of the twentieth century, when peace organizations explicitly began using media to further their goals in violent conflict zones (Bratic 2016). Several military battles, some of which have been ongoing for decades, have effectively concluded since the conclusion of the Cold War.…”