How activists are using Facebook in Myanmar for Democratic ends, but Facebook itself also facilitated hate speech

Abstract

At varying times over the past 15 years, Facebook and other social media sites have been idealised by pundits, media, Western governments, and the tech industry as a tool catalysing democratic change during periods of political unrest in authoritarian countries. The events of the Arab Spring, in particular, propelled social media to the front lines of global attention as a potential democratising tool. Show more