“Celebrity” in Philippine politics can manifest in more ways than one. Most notoriously, celebrity makes itself evident when film and television stars participate in politics as candidates during …
Constitutional Rights in a State of Emergency: The Case of Vietnam
In March 2020, COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic; as the medical community worked to find a vaccine, the information world was rampant with misinformation. The Vietnamese government …
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Private Arbiters of Public Discourse: Facebook, MSI, and the Political Power of the Algorithm
In the digital age, it is plausible that a minor tweak in an algorithm could erode democracy as successfully as a charismatic demagogue. Juggernaut tech corporations have monopolized the markets of …
Facebook’s Gradual Assault on Democracy
Communication and social interactions are critical tools that can either solidify polarization or depolarize democracies at risk. Social relations inherently trickle down into the political discourse …
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Social Media and Mass Mobilization in Algeria
In February 2019, Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared his intention to run for a fifth term. This message was released through state media as Bouteflika could no longer make public …
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Facebook and Content Moderation: An Inconspicuous Driver of Democratic Erosion
In 2004, in a small dorm room at Harvard University, Facebook was born. A platform initially designed for American college students to network and meet each other has grown to host nearly 3 billion …
The Fourth Estate: Democracy, Journalism, and the Social Media Age
According to James Carey, "without journalism there is no democracy, but without democracy there is no journalism either.” In other words, the ability of journalism to inform citizens of a democracy, …
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Facebook’s Growing Role in Elections by Isabet Tranchin
Facebook now boasts more than two billion users worldwide, but this well-known social media platform also has a rising role in the political arena. As the internet becomes more accessible social media …
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