Three-Day national Seminar on Politics and Social Media: Commons in the Space Online. 12-14 October 2011 (UGC)

 Politics and Social Media: Commons in the Space Online.

UGC sponsored Three Day National Seminar on 12, 13 and 14 October, 2011.

Department of Political Science

Government Brennen College

Accredited by NAAC with “A” Grade

Affiliated to Kannur Univesity,Kerala,India.

Venue 

Hindi seminar Hall

Department of Political Science, Government Brennen College ,organizes UGC sponsored   Three Day National Seminar programme on “Politics and Social Media : Commons in the Space Online”. We invites scholars from Central Universties, Professional Institutions, Government representatives, bureaucrats, media professionals ,social activist groups , scholars and teachers.

Social media has become an important tool for social communication especially for movements for social change in recent days.The use and reach of social media has become wide spread all over the world.It has developed to the phase  of changing even political regimes in Middle East and Africa.India has too been affected by this trend .In India practices based on social media for social change are flourishing in an unprecedental pace.The connection between internet and collective action constituted very serious academic pursuit in recent times. The attention-grabbing question is whether internet facilitates public action online. The pro-democracy movement in Middle East and in Egypt, social media experiments in the U S elections, the diplomatic tussle created by Wikileaks cables, the use of internet platforms in general elections recently in India and the discussion which Nira Radia tapes created in internet platforms has made very serious scholastic enthusiasm. Anna Hazare led anti-graft movement has recently created a renewed interest in the power of internet and social media to influence public action in India.

Political communication , therefore,needs to be redefined in an unprecedented manner in India with the rise of social media platforms such as discussion and chats among citizens through blogs, chatrooms, e-mails, citizen access to MPs and public authorities through web, e-mail, blogs. Online ‘participatory’ journalism through web, email, sms, mms, blogs, connections and weak tie networks through network sites like Facebook, Orkut Myspace etc, user-generated content in broadcasting through TV, Radio, web, sms, blogs , and  social movement activity through web,blogs,email,wikis, all of these produced a wider non-party political domain in internet and also a field of protest. With Facebook , Twitter ,blogs and other platforms , the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been transformed.

It has become easier for the people of poles apart to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns. For a democratic country like India, virtual vigilantism offers new mechanisms of expression, representation and mobilisation of interest and political opinion. The upshot of this novel form of vigilantism is that diverse social and political groups are finding their voices outside the realm of conventional politics. In other words, Political Parties are no longer monopolizing the public opinion domain. Civil society and voluntary groups are injecting fresh ideas into politics and mobilizing social interests and changing public perceptions. Having bypassed conventional politics, these groups are engaging directly with the public. Infact internet generates a non-party political domain in India through social media which is dominant enough to influence even  the political domain. It needs to be studied and addressed theoretically.

The seminar is scheduled under the broad platform of connection between internet and social movement campaigns by social media platforms. The broad themes of the seminar includes-
1. Internet and democracy.,
2. Public sphere online.,
3. Online social movements.,
4. Protest politics online.,
5. Civil society online.,
6. Social capital online.,
7. Digital divide.,
8. Social media.

12/10//2011-9 a.m,Registration

Politics and Social Media:Commons in the Space Online

Session I

Time.10.30 a.m,Inaugural Session

Welcome:Biju P R,Assistant Professor in Political Science.(Convener)

Presidential Address:Dr.K P Satheesh,Principal,Government Brennen College.     

Inaugural Address :Dr.J Prabhash,Pro-Vice Chancellor,University of Kerala.

Keynote Speech:Dr.Achuthsankar S.Nair,Hon.Director,Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Kerala

Felicitations:

:Dr.Venugopalan M,Secretarty,PT A
:Dr.M Ramakrishnan,Associate Professor,Dept.of  Philiosophy
: P R Shaju,Course Director,Dept.of  Mass Communication and Journalism,Kannur University.
:Union Representative.

Vote of Thanks:Pramesh A, Assistant Professor in Political Science.

Afternoon  :Session II

Presentations

Theme:Protest Politics Online

1. Activism tweeted; rise of “mouse click” politics in India?

Gayathri O,Assistant Professor,HoD,Department of Political Science,Government College Madappally,Vadakara.

2. Muted Minority Vs Mass Movements:The silencing role of social media in Anna Hazare’s India Against Corruption movement.

Titto Varghese & Juby John Eipe, Ph D Research Scholars,Department of Mass Communication,Pondicherry University

3. Online Educational Partnerships through Social media: Prof. V's Teaching Cafe-Case study.

K.P. Jaikiran, Assistant Professor in Geology, University College, Trivandrum and Anna Vigliotti, Professor, State College Florida, Florida, US

4. Social Media as a tool of Political Communication.

K. K. Balaraman,Assistant Editor,Online Desk,Mathrubhumi

5. Dr.Raju Narayana Swamy I A S, Secretary to Government of Kerala,Youth Affairs.

13-10-2011, Morning Session. Session III

Theme Paper: Internet and Democracy

T.P.Sreenivasan I F S,Former Ambassador of India to the United Nations, Vienna Former Governor for India, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna Managing Trustee and Director General, Kerala International Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.

Presentation Session V

Theme :Online Social Movements

1.Paper awaited.

Dr.Rajaram Tolpadi,Associate Professor,Department of Political Science,Mangalore University.

2. Community identity in cyberspace: An example of  Namboodiris of Malabar

Girishvishnu O K, Assistant Professor,Department of History,Government Brennen College.

13-10-2011, Afternoon Session V

Theme: Public Sphere Online

1. How ICT and Internet resources strengthening the democracy: A study of  process of participation in the development of e- governance

Dr.Suresh Kumar.T.V,UGC- Post-Doctoral Fellow ,School of International Relations & Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.

2. Emergence of Electronic-Governance in Rural India

Avneet Kaur,Research Scholar,Department of Political Science,Delhi University,New Delhi.

3. Digital Gender Divide

Chetan Tokas,Research Scholar, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

4.‘Fishes on Bicycle’: Advancing a ‘Billet doux’ to social media 2.0

Sabu Thomas, Assitprofessor in Politics, Teacher Fellow, SGTDS, MG University, Kottayam.

5.Paper Awaited.

Anil Varma,Research Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

14-10-2011, Fore Noon Session V

Theme:Civil Society Online

1. Orthographic Dimensions of Hindi language Online.

Dr.Sumith P V, P D F Fellow,CIIL Mysore,Mysore.

2. Linguistic Distribution of Hindi language Online.

Dr.Prabhakaran Hebbar Illath,Assistant Professor ,Department of  Hindi,Government Brennen College,Thalssery.

Session VI Social media

3.Social Media Analytics.

Jaganadh G,Project Lead N L P,365 Media Private Limited ,Coimbatore

4. Social Media and Democracy.

Santhosh Mathew Veranani, Assistant Professor,Centre for South Asian Studies,Pondicherry Central University .

5. Social Media and Security Risk.

Benild Joseph, Digital Security Consultant, Sub Editor;Hacker 5Magazine,Core Member,Indian Cyber Army,United Indian Cyber Force.

Convenor
Biju P R
Assistant Professor
Deptt of Political Science
Govt Brennen College
Thalassery
Kannur
Kerala.
9847477116

bijugayu@gmail.com