ABSTRACT

What are the key challenges facing our increasingly digitized democracy, and how might we as citizens contribute to resolving them? This book explores these questions, adopting a multi-disciplinary approach that combines work from media studies, journalism studies, and political science scholars, and draws on trends in countries including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and Indonesia. The book is divided into four main themes: (1) the impact of digital communication on politics and government; (2) the future of news and journalism in the network society; (3) the potential of digital media to enhance civic engagement and social inclusion; and (4) visions for the future of digital democracy.

part I|2 pages

Politics and Government

chapter 1|11 pages

Fake News and Democratic Culture

chapter 3|15 pages

Surround-Sound Elections

Campaigning in a Fast-Evolving Digital Media Environment

chapter 4|11 pages

From “Crush the Saboteurs” to “Coalition of Crackpots”

The Role of the Partisan “Tory” Press and the Power of Alternative Media During Brexit and #GE17

part II|2 pages

News and Journalism

chapter 6|15 pages

Journalism as an Advocate for Social Change and Public Engagement

Reporting Environmental Crisis in the Digital Era

chapter 7|12 pages

Mining the Depleted “Rivers of Gold”

Public Notices and the Sustainability of Australian Local News in a Digitised Democracy

chapter 9|17 pages

“Cloudy with a Chance of Sh!tstorm”

Examining the Role of Social News Outlets in the Hack Live: Is Male Privilege Bullsh!t? Social Media Ritual

part III|2 pages

Digital Societies

chapter 10|14 pages

Digital Public Spheres in Australia

chapter 11|16 pages

Beyond Deficit Discourse

Reframing Debate in Indigenous Education

chapter 12|9 pages

The Role of Social Media during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

A Real Catalyst, or Merely a Facilitating Factor?

chapter 13|11 pages

IndigenousX

Unencumbered, Connected

part IV|2 pages

New Visions

chapter 15|19 pages

The Era of Mega-Leaks

chapter 16|10 pages

The Unfinished Robots Revolution

Ten Tips for Humans