| 1. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, Associate Professor, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Analysing Twitter Discourse on Extreme Events and Climate Change Using Quantitative Research Methods and Applying Theoretical Interpretations
- 2022
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Ingår i: SAGE Research Methods Cases. - London : Sage Publications. - 9781529601107
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Annan publikation (refereegranskat)abstract
- This method case study describes how we extracted and analyzed data from Twitter as part of a research project to investigate how users connected climate change to extreme weather events during 2008–2017. The paper describes how the open-source tool, Mecodify, was used as a fundamental part of the method to download data from Twitter and identify key insights through tables, graphs and machine-readable files. The paper goes into detail to describe the steps that were taken from the building the search query to analyzing, aggregating, and visualizing the data used to describe the findings. Although Mecodify facilitated the process significantly, the paper highlights some of the challenges that were confronted during different research stages and how they were overcome. The aim is to provide social media researchers with some useful insights for their own research.
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| 2. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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How Do Social Media Users Link Different Types of Extreme Events to Climate Change? : A Study of Twitter During 2008–2017
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Extreme Events. - Singapore : World Scientific. - 2345-7376 .- 2382-6339. ; 06:02
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examines how three types of extreme events (heat waves, droughts, floods) are mentioned together with climate change on social media. English-language Twitter use during 2008–2017 is analyzed, based on 1,127,996 tweets (including retweets). Frequencies and spikes of activity are compared and theoretically interpreted as reflecting complex relations between the extreme event factor (the occurrence of an extreme event); the media ecology factor (climate-change oriented statements/actions in the overall media landscape) and the digital action factor (activities on Twitter). Flooding was found to be by far the most tweeted of the three in connection to climate change, followed by droughts and heat waves. It also led when comparing spikes of activity. The dominance of floods is highly prevalent from 2014 onwards, triggered by flooding events (extreme event factor), the climate science controversy in US politics (media ecology factor) and the viral power of celebrities’ tweets (digital action factor).
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| 3. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, Associate Professor, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
-
How Do Social Media Users Link Different Types of Extreme Events to Climate Change? A Study of Twitter During 2008–2017
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Journal of Extreme Events. - Singapore : World Scientific. - 2345-7376 .- 2382-6339. ; 6:2, s. 1-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examines how three types of extreme events (heat waves, droughts, floods) are mentioned together with climate change on social media. English-language Twitter use during 2008–2017 is analyzed, based on 1,127,996 tweets (including retweets). Frequencies and spikes of activity are compared and theoretically interpreted as reflecting complex relations between the extreme event factor (the occurrence of an extreme event); the media ecology factor (climate-change oriented statements/actions in the overall media landscape) and the digital action factor (activities on Twitter). Flooding was found to be by far the most tweeted of the three in connection to climate change, followed by droughts and heat waves. It also led when comparing spikes of activity. The dominance of floods is highly prevalent from 2014 onwards, triggered by flooding events (extreme event factor), the climate science controversy in US politics (media ecology factor) and the viral power of celebrities’ tweets (digital action factor).
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| 4. |
- Berglez, Peter, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Extreme weather and climate change : social media results, 2008–2017
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 20:4, s. 382-399
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The link between extreme weather and climate change is being highlighted in ever more countries. Increased public understanding of this issue is essential for policymaking, both in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. As social media are becoming central to the exchange of information in society, the purpose is to analyze what generates intensified attention to the connection between extreme weather and climate change in digital communication. This is done by examining periods of intensified co-occurrence of mentions of extreme weather and climate change on English-language Twitter (N = 948,993). Our quantitative analysis suggests that during the period 2008–2017 the years 2010, 2011 and 2017 exhibit a considerable increase in ‘causality discourse’, i.e. tweets that articulate the topic of climate change + extreme weather, in comparison with earlier years. These periods of significant growth are interpreted as involving dynamic relationships between three factors, namely mediated highlighting of previous or ongoing extreme-weather events (extreme-event factor); connection of extreme weather to climate change by traditional media or other intermediaries (media-driven science communication factor); and actions of individual users (digital-action factor). Through a qualitative discourse analysis, how these factors jointly generate increasing attention to ‘causality discourse’ is more closely explored for the case of 2017.
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| 5. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, 1973-
(författare)
-
A blockchain-based fact-checking registry : Enhancing trust in the fact-checkers
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper introduces a project to build a blockchain-based registry for fact checks. It describes why the project was initiated and briefly argues for the use of blockchain to store fact checks compared to traditional storage methods. The project uses the Fact Check Assistant web application that was developed to streamline fact checking processes for individual fact checkers whether they work independently or as part of an institution or project.The paper is a mere introduction with in-depth research expected to follow so as to assess the project and identify what worked and what didn’t after the implementation of the project.The project is essentially an experiment to see if blockchain technology can help make fact checking processes more reliable and effective.
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| 6. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Blockchain technology for social impact : opportunities and challenges ahead
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Cyber Policy. - : Routledge. - 2373-8871 .- 2373-8898. ; 2:3, s. 338-354
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While much has already been written about blockchain applications and prospects in the FinTech industry, little research has been done to explore blockchain technology’s user-centric paradigm in enabling various applications beyond banking. This article is an effort to contribute to that body of scholarship by exploring blockchain technology’s potential applications, and their limits, in areas that intersect with social impact, including human rights. This article explores whether blockchain technology and its core operational principles – such as decentralisation, transparency, equality and accountability – could play a role in limiting undue online surveillance, censorship and human rights abuses that are facilitated by the increasing reliance on a few entities that control access to information online. By doing so, this article aims at initiating a scholarly curiosity to understand what is possible and what is to be concerned about when it comes to the potential impact of blockchain technology on society.
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| 7. |
- Al-saqaf, Walid, 1973-
(författare)
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Breaking digital firewalls : analyzing internet censorship and circumvention in the arab world
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation explores the role of Internet censorship and circumvention in the Arab world as well as Arabs’ views on the limits to free speech on the Internet.The project involves the creation of an Internet censorship circumvention tool named Alkasir that allows users to report and access certain types of censored websites. The study covers the Arab world at large with special focus on Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen.This work is of interdisciplinary nature and draws on the disciplines of media and communication studies and computer science. It uses a pioneering experimental approach by placing Alkasir in the hands of willing users who automatically feed a server with data about usage patterns without storing any of their personal information.In addition to the analysis of Alkasir usage data, Web surveys were used to learn about any technical and nontechnical Internet censorship practices that Arab users and content producers may have been exposed to. The study also aims at learning about users’ experiences with circumvention tools and how such tools could be improved.The study found that users have successfully reported and accessed hundreds of censored social networking, news, dissident, multimedia and other websites. The survey results show that while most Arab informants disapprove censoring online anti-government political content, the majority support the censoring of other types of content such as pornography, hate speech, and anti-religion material.Most informants indicated that circumvention tools should be free of charge, fast and reliable. An increase in awareness among survey respondents of the need for privacy and anonymity features in circumvention solutions was observed.
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| 8. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, 1973-
(författare)
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Censory overload : how a reluctant journalist used his software skills to aid the Arab Spring
- 2012
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Ingår i: Columbia Journalism Review. - New York : Columbia University. Graduate School of Journalism. - 0010-194X. ; 51:1, s. 26-
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- How can one overcome obstacles created to hide information from the public, particularly in a time of excessive repression? This article presents an overview of the challenges and triumphes that were witnessed by one of a Yemeni cyber activist who had to confront the censorship of his news website and moved from struggling for his own cause to a wider cause. He explains how he moved from the national scope to the international by developing software that enabled activists around the world to access online information that governments block. The article is a mixture of personal narrations of previous experiences and a highlight on the difficult and turbelant time cyber activists have suffered from during the Arab Spring.
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| 9. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, 1973-
(författare)
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Circumventing Internet Censorship in the Arab World
- 2012
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Ingår i: Liberation technology. - Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press. - 9781421405674 - 9781421405681 - 9781421406985 ; , s. 124-138
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A book chapter describing how censorship patterns emerged in the Arab world during and just before the Arab Spring with some highlights of the early research done around censorship circumvention.
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| 10. |
- Al-Saqaf, Walid, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Could blockchain save journalism? : An explorative study of blockchain’s potential to make journalism a more sustainable business
- 2019. - 1
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Ingår i: Blockchain and Web 3.0. - London : Routledge. - 9780367139841 - 9780429029530 ; , s. 97-113
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ever since the Bitcoin phenomenon gained momentum in recent years, much has been written about blockchain applications and prospects in the FinTech industry, business and healthcare. Yet, very little if any scholarly work has been done to study how the peer-to-peer, decentralized and highly disruptive blockchain technology may impact or be used by news media and journalists. This article is an effort to contribute to the body of scholarship on journalism as well as distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) by exploring blockchain’s potential applications and challenges when dealing with journalism's most fundamental pillars such as fact checking, data gathering and analysis.The study explores two case studies demonstrating distinct uses of permissionless blockchains. The first revolves around blockchains as a source of information that could be used by data journalists to extract valuable insights regarding payment transactions and network formation as illustrated by the investigative reporting done on the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack.The second case study is around the use of the technology as a basis for revolutionizing journalism as an industry by leveraging the technology’s core characteristics, namely decentralisation, immutability and transparency. The latter case study will look into two ongoing journalistic projects namely the Distributed News Network and Civil, which promise allowing the creation and management of content without centralized control or even a centralized newsroom in ways that could effectively limit the spread of fake news and propaganda.The paper analyses the objectives, methods and limitations of the case studies and uses interviews and content analysis of empirical data obtained from primary sources. By reflecting on Rogers’ theory of the diffusion of innovation, the study assesses the impact of blockchains in comparison to other earlier technologies such as the diffusion of the Internet.It is hoped that the conclusions drawn from this study could help inform journalists and media about the potential uses and limitations of blockchain technology in journalism as well as initiate a scholarly curiosity with a futuristic outlook to understanding the role of cutting edge and disruptive technologies on society.
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