Welcome to SoDaDev!
Over the next few months this space will serve as a channel allowing us to express our thoughts and ideas freely. We hope our blog will generate a dynamic atmosphere where knowledge is built and minds are kept open. Our intention is to share our thoughts and hopefully get our readers to talk back and expand our horizon.
Do you know why listening is the first step to a good dialogue?
Because you have two ears and one mouth for a reason
Anonymous
In various ways and means, we will be discussing social media, “datafication”, and development. Especially topics such as gender equality, social-economic inequalities and racism pique our interest. Mis/disinformation, data inequality, the power of Big Tech, threats to freedom of expression and civic spaces and violence in the online sphere are all issues of concern in development and our blog will reflect this. Having said that, we also enjoy discussing trending news topics to take the temperature on debates in development.
Our name
The name of our blog: SoDaDev is a compound of the first syllables of the words Social Media, Datafication, and Development, with the goal of giving it a short, catchy, and easy-to-remember name for people searching for it on the Internet. In addition, since we decided to use AI (Dall-E-2) for all visual elements of our blog, it became clear to us that we could use the image of a soft drink for both the logo and the home image, so as to create this fun association between the name SoDaDev and the visual aspect of the soda itself.
You will also notice that we do not use actual social media platforms to promote our blog, and opted instead for a simulation experiment. Read about our reasons in the text by Stratos, “Social Media and Pollution”.
Meet the SoDaDev-s
We are a small group of 6 people from all over the world 🌍 finishing our Master’s in Communication for Development.
EFSTRATIOS
Efstratios, a Greek currently living in the Netherlands, with an academic background in the fields of Animal Science, Economics and Management, and Computer Science. He has worked for 18 years in five different agencies in the Greek civil sector. Currently, he works as a Scientific Support Coordinator in the European Medicines Agency. His main focus would be on exposing the diverse ways that data produces inequality of opportunity and harm in society. Data might be analyzed in terms of who gains access to it and who can extract value from it, how data is produced and used in society, how corporations can control personal data, and how algorithmic discrimination and data mining influence individuals’ and groups’ identity and opportunities.
GUENDA
Guenda, an Italian living in Spain, holds a master’s degree in translation. After working in several fields such as translation, teaching and working in a European agency, she decided to go back to study and follow some new passion: communication. Last year she joined Malmo’s ComDev programme and this year started to work in communication for FabLab Barcelona, focusing on EU projects with a social impact. She is interested in the role of social media, the Big Tech and use of data debates on Internet restrictions and how digital technologies influence social dynamics and exploit data, particularly considering the practice of the development sector.
MARIE
Marie, originally from Denmark, holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology. After her studies followed years of work surrounded by investment bankers in grey suits on busy schedules. She decided to quit the bank, join the bright side and enrol in Malmo’s ComDev programme. Since last year, Marie has been at one of the UN specialized agencies, this year working primarily on gender equality. She is especially interested in addressing how we deal and exist in today’s online climate with gendered mis/disinformation, gender-based violence, bias in AI, the disappearance of civic spaces and Big Tech turning a blind eye, in the aftermath of a global pandemic and in the midst of global climate change, crisis and conflicts.
KASIA
Kasia is Polish, currently based in Brussels, Belgium. Professionally involved in rising awareness about disinformation for the Strategic Communication Division of the European External Action Service. With an academic background in communications, PR and Latin American studies, and as a ‘doer’ at heart, she was previously engaged in numerous development projects across Asia, Latin America and Europe. In her practice, she uses communications, engaged media solutions, digital storytelling and art as tools to raise awareness of world injustice. She is passionate about how the crossroads of arts, media, human rights and the impact of data and digital solutions, shape everyday life, particularly of the vulnerable communities and these are the topics that she will cover on SoDaDev.
LMK
LMK is a German with Arab roots, who lives in the UK. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied linguistics, with the English and German pathway. He is fluent in German, English and Arabic and his French is intermediate. He has a keen interest in history, geography, cultures, nature and wildlife. Aid work and social change are also something he has a keen interest in. Hence, he has worked for and with various UK-based charities, having participated in projects involving collecting money and food for Syria, Yemen, Somalia and the Rohingya, helping clean up streets in his hometown in the UK and advising the local youth regarding drug abuse. For this reason, he chose to study the Master’s course Communication for Development at Malmö University, to get a better understanding and insight into the aid sector and the many topics surrounding it, in order to eventually use the knowledge to help bring about a positive change. He will use this blog to write about how social media and big data systems can harm society.
DIMITRA
Dimitra comes originally from Greece and she roams between her love for communication and her passion for politics. Dimitra holds a degree in Black Sea studies with a focus on Turkey. She moved to DK for her Master’s in International Security and Law while at the same moment working in the field of tech and communication. At the moment she attends her third Master’s in the field of Communication at the University of Malmø and gaining experience in the same field. Outside the professional world, she focuses her time on volunteer work mainly around food and community. Dimitra finds it exciting how the internet became the crossroad between social and private and wants to research further how new parts of the internet affect the human experience.