DIGITAL SHUTDOWNS AND SOCIAL MEDIA: Spatiality, Political Economy and Internet Shutdowns in India

Book Details:

• Author: Dr. Shekh Moinuddin

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 2024

• ISBN: 9783031469480

• Pages: 197

• Cover: Hardcover

About the Book

This book delves into the spatial aspects of the social mediasphere, especially in the context of internet shutdowns, offering insights into the political economy and the role of social media. Internet shutdowns are notably more frequent in developing countries, with India leading the world in such actions. These shutdowns often aim to hinder the spread of information via social media, and this book explores the political motives behind them. It also discusses how these actions sometimes conflict with government initiatives like the "Digital India" program, which is designed to improve digital infrastructure across the nation.

The book goes on to explore new dimensions of digital spatiality, defining and analyzing the role of digital spaces and their intersection with the real world. It raises critical questions about how social media interacts with spatial sciences, how digital spaces differ from tangible ones like the hydrosphere or atmosphere, and how screens (whether computer or mobile) function as spaces in behavioral contexts. The author also investigates whether digital gadgets alter the socialization process and how internet shutdowns affect political economies, analyzing the reactions of individuals, companies, and the digital industry in India.

Contents

1. Mapping Digital Political Economy in India

2. Mapping ‘Social’ in Social Mediasphere in India

3. Spatial Mapping of Social Mediasphere in India

4. Electoral Mapping of Social Mediasphere in India

5. Geographies of Semiotics in Social Mediasphere in India

6. Social Mediasphere and Economic Activities in India

7. Spatial Mapping of Digital Shutdown in India

8. Political Economy of Spatial Turn in Digital Landscapes

About the Author

Dr. Shekh Moinuddin is a media geographer and the author of several books, including Media Space and Gender Construction (2010), Mapping Media (2015), Mediascape and the State (2017), and The Political Twittersphere in India (2019). With over ten years of experience teaching geography at various academic levels, Dr. Moinuddin has successfully submitted six funded research projects. His research spans media geography, social media, digital spatiality, cultural mappings, image-politics, the political economy of digital gadgets, digital loneliness, platform democracy, and digital religiosity in India.