Welcome to Reclaiming Social Media, a project by DW Akademie that explores unique and remarkable ways media outlets and journalists are enhancing constructive public dialogue on social media.
Learn more about the project's achievements:
Step 1
We undertook research on the current challenges brought about by social media. The research team developed situation analyses on five core issues in their respective regions.
Step 2
The researchers embarked on regional explorations, and identified over 80 innovative initiatives aimed at addressing the current challenges hindering constructive dialogue on social media.
Step 3
We selected promising initiatives to enhance constructive public dialogue, dissecting their approaches and created detailed case studies and articles.
Step 4
In a workshop held in Bonn, we brought together the research team to review and consolidate the findings. We discussed actionable recommendations for various actors to foster constructive dialogue on social media.
Step 5
Our journey continues as we progress into the next phase: embarking on regional consultations to discuss and refine these recommendations, tailoring them to the specific local environments.
Solomon Serwanjja is an investigative journalist and the Executive Director of the African Institute for Investigative Journalism. For this project, he researched the regions of East and Central Africa.
Meet the team
Laís Martins
Laís Martins is a journalist specializing in politics, human rights, technology, and democracy, exploring their intersections. She compiled the research on Latin America for this project.
Meet the team
Maksym Sribnyi
Maksym Sribnyi is a media researcher with a focus on Eastern and Central Europe. He has a keen interest in media and journalism.
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Gaura Naithani
Gaura Naithani researches social media trends on TikTok and other platforms. She worked on the research on Asia for this project.
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Afef Abrougui
Afef Abrougui is a researcher and consultant who focuses on the impact of technology on fundamental rights and freedoms. For this project, she compiled the research on the region of Middle East and North Africa.
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Gerald Walulya
Gerald Walulya, Ph.D., is a journalist, journalism trainer, and researcher specializing in East Africa. His research areas include journalists' safety, media viability, and misinformation.
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Tarushi Aswani
Tarushi Aswani is an independent journalist, covering various topics such as human rights, governance, religion, and politics within the South Asian region.
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Sally Hammoud
Sally Hammoud holds a Ph.D in Communication & Media Studies. She collaborates with civil society organizations and academic institutions worldwide, focusing on artificial intelligence and language.
Meet the team
DW Akademie Project Team
"Reclaiming Social Media" is a project initiated and coordinated by DW Akademie to research and discuss attempts in reclaiming social media as a space for connection, inclusiveness, and meaningful discussions. The team consists of journalist and consultant Attila Mong (on the left), project manager Hanna Hempel (in the middle), and project associate David Schneider (on the right).
We have identified five key challenges that hinder constructive public dialogue on social media:
Digital Divide
12.09.2023
Moderation of Dialogue
12.09.2023
Algorithms Increase Polarization
12.09.2023
Trolling and Harassment
12.09.2023
Propaganda and Disinformation
12.09.2023
The Case studies
Amid these challenges, media professionals have creatively – and often bravely – pushed against the tide to carve out spaces for discussions on topics of public interest. We hope these practices resonate, inspire and act as a catalyst towards improved online public spaces.
