[ecrea] Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies - Social media and journalism in Africa

CALL FOR PAPERS
Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies - Special Issue: Social media 
and journalism in Africa
Guest Editor: Chris Paterson, University of Leeds
This Special Issue of Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies will 
survey the intersection of SOCIAL MEDIA and JOURNALISM in Africa.  We 
hope to offer a venue for new empirical research and for the development 
of theory and analysis.  Publication will be in early 2013.
Around Africa tensions are evident between the rapid commercialization 
and deregulation of traditional media and increasing pressures for a 
compliant media discourse from commercial and state media proprietors.  
Social media demonstrate an unprecedented ability for the politically 
engaged to both bypass and influence traditional information flows, but 
social media use faces unique circumstances through much of Africa, due 
to an underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure, limited (though 
rapidly increasing) extra-urban mobile access, and bandwidth limitations 
in many areas.  There has been a rapid escalation in the numbers of 
people using Twitter to monitor and to disseminate information, and the 
use of mobile devices is also skyrocketing amid massive marketing 
campaigns dominated by a few multinational providers.
While use of social media may be less constrained by government control 
in Africa than elsewhere, its role remains largely untested in the 
context of general under-development and limited ICT penetration.  Signs 
of social change brought by leapfrogging mobile technology are evident 
around the continent, inspiring questions about the new nature of 
information exchange and citizenship. Crucial questions remain about 
whether the apparent efficacy of social media as a political organising 
tool beyond state control in north Africa has implications for the rest 
of the continent.
Authors may address the following questions, but other approaches and 
related topics are welcome:
- How have social media supplemented or replaced traditional information 
sources?
- How are social media and other new media being incorporated into 
processes of journalism in Africa?
- Are social media changing established flows of information in Africa 
and between Africa and the world?
- How do specific cases of social media and other ICT use in Africa 
compare with non-African cases?
- How are diasporic and/or exiled journalists employing social media?
- To what extent have social media been an empowering force in Africa?
- Are new forms of citizenship emerging in Africa as a result of social 
media?
- What new methodological challenges to the study of journalism in 
Africa are posed by social media or emerging forms of communications 
generally?
We are open to a variety of methodological approaches and geographic 
foci.  Articles should be 6000-8000 words and proposals for shorter 
commentaries are also welcome.  Style guidance is available at 
_http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=0256-0054&linktype=44_ 
<http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=0256-0054&linktype=44>.  
(Articles are to be submitted directly to the editor at the email below, 
not to this website).
Contact the editor of this issue with expressions of interest: Chris 
Paterson, University of Leeds - (_c.paterson /at/ leeds.ac).uk_ 
<mailto:(c.paterson /at/ leeds.ac.uk)>. The deadline for articles is July 15 
2012, but earlier submissions are welcome.   All submissions will be 
peer reviewed, with notification of acceptance by September 1, and any 
revisions required by October 1 2012.
Authors may wish to present their work at a related panel of the UK 
African Studies Association annual conference in Leeds in September 
2012. Contact Chris Paterson, above, if interested.
Dr. Chris Paterson ~
Senior Lecturer for Broadcast Journalism & Director of the MA 
International Journalism  ~ Institute for Communications Studies ~ 
Clothworkers' Building North, 2.03 ~ University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT 
~ +44 (0)113 3437619