This week, Elli addressed the topic of cancel culture on social media as a way to counter behavior contributing to inequalities and Richaela brought up a recent ICT failure as Uganda imposed a compulsory license for online publishing in addition to the existing tax for social media use.
Cancel Culture – The good, the bad and the ugly brings up “cancel culture”, a concept that has received an increasing amount of attention online especially in 2020 as debates about its pros and cons have been taken up by a number of celebrities and media houses. Born as a tool of collective action to counter social issues online such as racist comments and claims, cancel culture also presents a number of risks for both the targets of canceling and democratic discussion online. Is canceling an efficient way to counter inequalities online? Read more here.
Uganda, Internet Death and Taxes delves into the role of the Ugandan government in deepening inequalities through the imposition first of the OTT tax for the use of social media in 2018, and now in 2020 a license for online content producers. These regulations contribute to limiting the freedom of expression and deepen the digital divide, as well as a general increase in social inequalities on various levels. To read more about the possible consequences of such regulations intertwing the physical and digital public spheres, click here.
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