From Political Representation to Digital Activism: Analysing Approaches of Engagement among Fans of Wave Makers (Netflix, 2023)

In the framework of their worldview the members of a language community come to an understanding on central themes of their personal and social lives. (Habermas, 1984: 59) Digital communication is now ingrained in contemporary social life. The Internet and associated increase in popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have provided citizens and communities with a multitude of channels through which to express civic participation and engagement. Wiggins and Bowers (2014: 1891) reflect these observations through the term ‘participatory digital culture’, a notion characterized by “relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement” and “strong support for creating and sharing creations” (Jenkins, 2009: xi). For example, and in relation to political involvement, Loader et al (2014: 143) explain that the political identities of young people are now shaped more by “the manner in which they participate and interact through the social networks which they themselves have had a significant part in constructing”. Engagement of this type is not limited to the political sphere, however, and can also be seen in the domains of education (e.g. RateMyProfessor), institutions (corporations, government or non-profit - e.g. via Twitter), and in advertising and marketing (e.g. memetics and viral media). Often underpinning participation in these digital cultures is a discourse of (de)legitimization. Legitimizing discourse is concerned with varying issues, decisions and actions and is specifically related to “power positions of actors and broader social structures – in other words, to institutions” (Vaara, 2014: 503). In particular, legitimacy has been a focus in relation to discourse in terms of individuals and authority (Van Leeuwen, 2007; 2008), political lobbying and campaigning (Davis, Glantz & Novak, 2016), corporate entities (Boyd, 2000), through music (Screti, 2013) and in relation to parliamentary discourse (Rojo & van Dijk, 1997). With the growth of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and increased access to participation through viral and memetic media, the discourse of (de)legitimization has begun to take a different shape. By incorporating chapters adopting a range of analytical approaches (e.g., Critical Discourse Analysis, genre analysis, netnography), the proposed volume strives to document how members of participatory digital cultures engage with the discourse of (de)legitimization in relation to individuals and institutions. As members of such cultures of participation, we the editors hope to expand understanding of how participation in such digital cultures reflects a growing level of civic participation and engagement in contemporary society. Therefore, chapter proposals are welcome that document, investigate and analyze the ways in which the Internet and social media demonstrate this.

Considering Meme-Based Non-Fungible Tokens’ Racial Implications

This article reflexively reviews methods for training researchers developed during a national studying of thriving congregations in the United States during the covid-19 pandemic (2020-2022) as a case study on doing digital ethnography (ethnography that uses digital methods to study and engage critically with digital culture). The article outlines the importance of digital culture (expressions of identity offline are not separate from online formation; see Campbell 2012) and digital dualism (outmoded assumptions about binaries between online/offline spaces; see Jurgenson 2011) for doing digital ethnography, and argues that as long as digital dualism lurks not only among congregations, but also within researchers and their methodologies, it undermines knowledge of congregations. Therefore, the article develops the concept of digital reflexivity (the interrogation of one’s own digital cultural experiences, identities, and power, in tension with one’s relationships), arguing for its usefulness for ethnographic studies of congregations, practices of congregational ministry, and theological education.

From Rivers to Confetti: Reconfigurations of Time through New Media Narratives

Remediating Destroyed Human Bodies: Contemporaneity and Habits of Online Visual Culture

What’s Hidden in Gravity Falls: Strange Creatures and the Gothic Intertext

This study examined the influence of social media on youths’ national identity and civic engagement in Southwestern Nigeria. The target population originally comprised undergraduates from public universities across three Southwestern states—Oyo, Osun, and Lagos. To strengthen representativeness, the study also considered youths in private universities, polytechnics, and non-student populations such as apprentices and employed youths. Using a descriptive survey design complemented by digital ethnography and exploratory interviews, data were collected from 600 undergraduates in public universities and supported with qualitative insights from other youth groups. The main instrument was a structured questionnaire titled Social Media, National Identity, and Civic Engagement Scale (SMNICES), while interviews and digital content analyses were employed to capture deeper narratives of online identity construction. Descriptive statistics were used to answer research questions, while Pearson correlation and regression analysis were employed to test hypotheses. Findings revealed a high level of social media use among youths, with significant relationships between social media exposure, national identity formation, and civic engagement. Qualitative evidence further illustrated how hashtags, memes, and online debates shaped both unity and division. The study concludes that social media is a powerful tool that must be strategically regulated and integrated into civic education to enhance national unity while recognizing the diversity of youth voices beyond the university setting.

This paper affirms and demonstrates the application of digital ethnography methodologies to two digitally transformative phenomena that are fundamentally enmeshed in the public sphere: personal drones and microtargeting. We review recent methodological studies on digital ethnography that can be delineated into three forms: research that is online or remote by necessity because of physical distance between researcher and participants; research that uses natively digital tools to study phenomena (Rogers 2013; Fish 2019) and research focused on digital cultures (Markham 2020). Our application of digital ethnography is further informed by qualitative ethnographic research undertaken by Horst, Pink, Postill and Hjorth (Horst, et al., 2016); and Manovich’s work on the application of digital ethnography to examine automation and big data (Manovich & Arielli, 2022). Beesley (forthcoming) utilises longitudinal visual ethnography as a lens to understand consumer drone cultures and disentangle the multiple narratives surrounding these disruptive technologies. Mount (2020), utilised digital ethnography to review two decades of microtargeting activities, employed by Strategic Communication Laboratories and Cambridge Analytica, to influence electoral behaviour. This methodological research will be combined with our conceptual swarm hermeneutics framework (Mount & Beesley, 2022) to develop scenario based simulations that will further evaluate interpretive schemas and behaviours.

This book centres on the use of the Bible within contemporary digital social media culture and gives an overview of its use online with examples from brand-new research from the CODEC Research Centre at Durham University, UK. It examines the shift from a propositional to a therapeutic approach to faith from a sociological standpoint. The book covers two research projects in particular: the Twitter Gospels and Online Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. It explores the data as they relate to Abby Day’s concept of performative belief, picking up on Mia Lovheim’s challenge to see how this concept works out in digital culture and social media. It also compares the data to various construals of contemporary approaches to faith performative faith, including Christian Smith and Melissa Lundquist Denton’s concept of moralistic therapeutic deism. Other research is also compared to the findings of these projects, including a micro-project on Celebrities and the Bible, to give a wider perspective on these issues in both the UK and the USA. As a sociological exploration of Digital Millennial culture and its relationship to sacred texts, this will be of keen interest to scholars of Biblical studies, religion and digital media, and contemporary lived religion.

The presence of digital platforms increasingly permeates contemporary everyday culture, necessitating a re-evaluation of observational studies on social and cultural phenomena. Traditional qualitative research methods that rely on physical locations face challenges in the era of digital platforms. This article aims to explain the use of ethnography and digital ethnography in fieldwork, combining classic ethnographic methods with participant observations in locations where digital platforms are utilized. Technical exploration can uncover social and cultural assumptions embedded in interactions and interviews, as well as how their accessibility can create symbolic meanings. Meanwhile, participant observation focuses on the perspectives of digital platform users within a community. Referring to pioneering works in the field of "digital ethnography," this article critically explores the potential and challenges posed by new technologies that warrant attention. It can be concluded that a balanced combination of physical and digital ethnography not only provides researchers with diverse and intriguing methods but also allows for a better appreciation of respondents' voices. The development of digital ethnography as a research methodology, along with the challenges encountered in addressing classical concepts of fieldwork, participation, and representation, creates opportunities for digital ethnographers to gain professional recognition in conducting research related to society and culture.

Mass Effect 2 is a popular computer role-playing game that has registered industry praise and academic attention for its compelling narrative and diverse cast of characters. This MRP examines how the design of the Mass Effect 2 game supports the potential for fostering civic engagement in its players via the gameplay and narrative design. Labov’s model (1997) of narrative structure of stories and narrative capacities (Frank 2010) originating from socionarrative theory provides the key narrative concepts to guide my analysis of the design decisions that went into the construction of the Mass Effect 2 world. Concepts of cooperation, reciprocity, and trust are used in conjunction with a qualitative content analysis to determine the existence of these aspects within the narrative of the game. This MRP will establish that the narrative structures and narrative capacities are used to catalyze concepts of cooperation, reciprocity, and trust in an effort to solve conflicts and promote acts that are civic in nature between its characters. Additionally, it will offer insight into how civic engagement is communicated in the Mass Effect 2 game.

Mass Effect 2 is a popular computer role-playing game that has registered industry praise and academic attention for its compelling narrative and diverse cast of characters. This MRP examines how the design of the Mass Effect 2 game supports the potential for fostering civic engagement in its players via the gameplay and narrative design. Labov’s model (1997) of narrative structure of stories and narrative capacities (Frank 2010) originating from socionarrative theory provides the key narrative concepts to guide my analysis of the design decisions that went into the construction of the Mass Effect 2 world. Concepts of cooperation, reciprocity, and trust are used in conjunction with a qualitative content analysis to determine the existence of these aspects within the narrative of the game. This MRP will establish that the narrative structures and narrative capacities are used to catalyze concepts of cooperation, reciprocity, and trust in an effort to solve conflicts and promote acts that are civic in nature between its characters. Additionally, it will offer insight into how civic engagement is communicated in the Mass Effect 2 game.

Bad Realism

Reflection on contemporary digital culture is relevant due to its significant impact on people and society. The concept of “digital culture,” which may be considered as the next stage of cultural development after postmodernism, is characterised by the increasing dominance of digital technologies in all spheres of society. The model of digital culture set out in the present article is compared with the postmodern rhizomatic model. In order to understand the substantive nature of digital culture it is important to define its main characteristics. Over the course of the study, the following provisions were identified. 1. A comparison of the rhizomatic model of culture and digital culture reveals certain similarities in terms of their characteristics: the absence of a single centre; a non-linear form of organisation; multiple forms of culture; the idea of culture as an open self-organising system. 2. An analysis of postmodernist prognoses of the modern socio-cultural situation discloses the ambivalent nature of the influence of digital culture on individuals and society. Positive aspects of digital metamodern culture include an expanded worldperception horizon due to the combination of the real and the virtual and enhanced opportunities for becoming familiar with the world of different cultures and creative self-development. At the same time, there are significant anthropological and social risks inherent in the development of digital culture. The cultural transformations taking place in the 21st century profoundly affect the traditional system of values. The contemporary person’s perception of the world as mosaic and fragmentary can be attributed to the departure from traditional verbal communication forms. “Clip culture” acquires a “simplified” character due to its focus on hedonistic or utilitarian-pragmatic meanings. Such rapid cultural evolution represents a potentially existential threat to humanity and the entire socio-cultural system. Since digitalisation processes take many diverse forms, a person must determine the level and nature of their interaction with IT technologies in order to mitigate anthropological threats.

This paper examines how advocacy-oriented NGOs in the Western Balkans navigate digital transformation. Using qualitative methods, including interviews and digital ethnography, it explores how digital tools are reshaping organisational coordination, civic mobilisation, and public advocacy in Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The study reveals a wide range of digital practices—from sporadic social media use to sophisticated digital campaigns—and highlights both the enabling and constraining effects of digitalisation in politically restricted and infrastructure-limited environments. Rather than merely adopting technology, digital transformation for civil society involves rethinking communication, organisation, and mission strategies. While digital tools offer increased outreach and engagement, they also pose challenges such as algorithmic marginalisation, cybersecurity threats, and reliance on opaque platform governance. In contexts where traditional media is state-influenced, digital platforms offer alternative avenues for civic expression—but not without risks. In Serbia, NGOs face digital surveillance and online harassment. In Albania, weak infrastructure and access disparities hinder engagement. North Macedonia, by contrast, benefits from stronger infrastructure and civic literacy, enabling more advanced digital advocacy. The research highlights the divide between under-resourced NGOs using ad hoc strategies and better-funded ones experimenting with data-driven, hybrid activism. Digital literacy, organisational capacity, and strategic vision emerge as key differentiators of impact. Platform governance plays a critical role. NGOs dependent on platforms like Facebook or YouTube are affected by algorithms and moderation practices that can restrict visibility and impact. This raises concerns around digital sovereignty and accountability. Ultimately, the paper argues that digitalisation alone does not guarantee civic empowerment or democratic progress. Outcomes depend on a mix of organisational choices, policy contexts, and digital infrastructures. Understanding how NGOs in the Western Balkans adapt to these dynamics offers important insights into the evolving role of civil society in semi-democratic settings. Received: 25 May 2025 / Accepted: 20 July 2025 / Published: 01 August 2025