Slides accompanying paper presented at conference at the University of Hull, 20th March 2010.

1. Alternative models for social media networks in malta Alex Grech University of Hull Virt3c@Hull Conference: 20th March 2010

2. A small island in the middle of the Med. Sometimes mistaken for Club Med. 2 It’s here

3. Key Statistics & Demographics 3 National Statistics Office Malta, estimates for 2009

4. Key Statistics & Demographics 4 National Statistics Office Malta, estimates for 2009

5. As the focus of ethnographic research, Malta provides “disjunctive positions and world-views that are inherently contradictory.”Grixti(2006) 5

6. There are “intricate networks of nepotism, patronage, and political clientelism, the pervasiveness and intensity of which are a function of the country’s small scale, population density and strong family ties.” Boissevain (1974. 2001: 292-293) 6 Social

7. 7 Social

8. “The intensity of day to day contact sustains a sense of ‘common culture’ that is reinforced by emotionally charged rituals & ceremonies such as the village festa, that gives the impression of a simple and integrated community, sheltered from the outside world and impervious to its influences.” Pisani (2010) 8 Cultural

9. Primary Institutions in Malta 9 Political Size of spheres not indicative of relative power

10. “You are trained from birth never to question authority and always to obey orders unless you can do something underhand and get away with it.” Caruana Galizia (2009) 10

11. “The importance of the institutions – the state, the political parties and the Catholic Church – has strongly marked the development of the media in Malta.” Borg (2009) 11 Media

12. Snapshot: Online Media Landscape in Malta Times of Malta Political Party Websites Government Portals Il-Gens (Church) Di-ve Portal Daphne Caruana Galizia Blog Malta Independent Other Blogs Twitter People Gozo News Malta Today Malta Media J’Accuse Blog Facebook Groups Mainstream Hybrid Alternative 12

13. Research Focus on Creators & Critics Publish a blog Publish your own web pages Upload video you created Upload audio/music you created Creators Critics Post ratings/reviews of products/services Comment on someone else’s blog Contribute to online forums Contribute to/edit articles in a wiki Collectors Use RSS feeds Add ‘tags’ to web pages or photos ‘Vote’ for websites online Read blogs Watch video from other users Listen to podcasts Read online forums Read customer ratings/reviews Joiners Maintain profile on a social networking site Visit social networking sites Spectators None of the above Inactives Source: Groundswell, Forrester Research, 2008 13

14. 14 “We are already at a stage where it is not always possible to determine whether a media or communication initiative is mainstream or alternative, is initiated from ‘outside’ or ‘inside’, is part of a development intervention or intrinsic to a social movement, or is distinctly derived from a particular national, cultural or movement context. As the empowering effects of alternative media and communication become more widely appreciated, as as new methods and technologies become more widely appreciated, and as new methods and technologies become more accessible, they will just become mainstream.” Petit, Salazar & Dagron (2009)

15. Alternative Attributes 15

16. Scope for Study 16

17. Example of Citizen Media use on Twitter 17 Source: http://twitter.com/alexgrech

18. Example of Citizen Media use on Facebook 18 Source: Facebook

19. Example of Citizen Media use on Facebook 19 Source: Facebook

20. Harassment of Carnival goers by police 20 Source: TimesOfMalta.com

21. Mainstream media reporting of Carnival 21 Source: TimesOfMalta.com

22. Blogger attack on a Magistrate and a Politician 22 Source: DaphneCaruanaGalizia.com

23. Blogger attack on Magistrate and a Politician 23 Source: DaphneCaruanaGalizia.com

24. Blogger attack on Magistrate and a Politician 24 Source: DaphneCaruanaGalizia.com

25. Other blogs join in… 25 Source: MaltaInsideOut.com

26. Other blogs join in… 26 Source: http://www.jacquesrenezammit.com/jaccuse/

27. Tabloid media reacts to blog attack 27 Source: MaltaToday.com

28. Blogger reported by Magistrate to police 28 Source: TImesOfMalta.com

29. Blogger keeps blogging after police interrogation 29 Source: DaphneCaruanaGalizia.com

30. First concrete consequences of blog attack 30 Source: www.di-ve.com

31. 31 “Maltese youths are still digital immigrants, and in a different category from their European counterparts. However, there is a growing awareness by young people that with the Internet, virtually anyone can broadcast to audiences roughly the same size of those targeted by the traditional mass media in Malta.” Sant (2009)

32. 32 “Whether (traditional) media will still be (important) in the next decade is not easy to predict. Processes like persuasion, free speech, knowledge acquisition, democracy and citizen have now taken a new dimension and offer new challenges with the introduction of the new media. Ownership of a radio or television station or of a paper still implies power. However, as a result of an omnipresence of media in peoples lives, the fragmentation of the audience is bound to change how media influence the audience, and in turn, how the audience influence the media. This does not mean a decline in the power of the media but it implies a change in power structures and their role in a democratic society.” Lauri (2009)

33. Example of Citizen Media use on Facebook 33 Source: Facebook

34. Example of Citizen Media use on Facebook 34 Source: Facebook

35. 35 Example of Citizen Media use on Facebook Source: Facebook

36. 36 The journey is rooted in ethnography A long term involvement among the people, through a variety of methods, such that any one aspect of their lives can be properly contextualised in others. (Miller & Slater, 2001) Virtual Ethnography requires an involvement with the technologies which form part of the setting studied. The ways in which these technical settings are treated require a special approach from the ethnographer, different to the approaches used in more traditional settings (Hine, 2000). “..A commitment to engage, rather than forestall action in our mediated communities.” Senft, 2007

37. 37

38. 38 Malta appears to be poised at a stage where citizens have found new tools that may open up possibilities for social change; but also where “the dominance of mainstream players in online media may impede effective grassroots initiatives.” (Saeed, S. 2009)

39. 39 Alex Grech alexgrech@gmail.com http://twitter.com/alexgrech Visuals: Albireo2006 Alex Attard Alex Grech Aron Mifsud Bonnici OBS1