Master of International Affairs   Master of Public Policy  

Social media, democracy and stability

The adoption of market mechanisms and new technologies in media around the world has brought about tremendous change in government, business, research and many other areas of everyday life. Debates about the consequences of making use of market-based and new media usually center around claims about their revolutionising effects, deepening democracy and destabilizing existing power structures; others argue that the market or technology may strengthen control and authoritarianism without offering much capacity for political change. This course examines the consequences of changes in the media landscape within different political systems. We will attempt go beyond highlighting the utopian and dystopian effects and instead identify which arguments have yielded the strongest evidence.

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

Instructor

  • Daniela Stockmann , Professor of Digital Governance | Director, Centre for Digital Governance