Digital Shutdowns and Social Media: Spatiality, Political Economy and Internet Shutdowns in India (Springer Geography)

This book offers a spatial insights on the social mediasphere in the context of digital shutdowns and reflects the dimensions of political economy and of social media in general. Internet shutdowns have been found to be more prevalent in developing countries than in developed countries, with India leading in Internet shutdowns in the world. Internet shutdowns have occurred in India for several reasons, mainly to hinder the spreading of information through social media – this is discussed in detail along with political motives behind this and how this can conflict with government policies, such as the flagship program “Digital India” which is ostensibly meant to improve the infrastructure and expansion of digital information throughout the country. This book suggests new dimensions in the digital spatiality. Furthermore, the digital space is defined and discussed, including its role and how this might be reflected in concepts around spatiality and spaces. More concretely, the book considers the following questions: How is social media reflected in spatial sciences? How does the space differ from more tangible spaces, such as the hydrosphere or atmosphere? How do (computer/mobile phone) screens behave as a space/place in the context of behavioural sciences? How is this reflected in what is shaping and reshaping the spatiality of digital gadgets? Do digital gadgets change the socialization process that’s often considered a path towards how we develop in society? How do internet shutdowns affect the political economy and what patterns can be seen in how individuals, companies and the internet industry in particular react to these shutdowns in India? Preface 7 Acknowledgements 10 Contents 11 Abbreviations 15 List of Figures 17 List of Tables 19 1 Mapping Digital Political Economy in India 20 1.1 Introduction 20 1.2 Mapping Political Economy of Social Media in India 21 1.2.1 Mapping Political Economy of Internet in India 26 1.3 Spatial Mapping of Internet in India 29 1.4 Spatial Turn in Social Mediasphere 31 1.5 Mapping Space and Place in Digital Gadgets 33 1.5.1 Mapping Social Mediasphere: A Case of Twitter 36 1.6 Spatiality, Political Economy and Social Mediasphere: A Spatial-Digital Landscapes 39 1.7 Contours of the Book 43 1.8 Conclusion 45 Appendix A 46 Appendix B 46 Appendix C: Questionnaire 47 References 51 2 Mapping ‘Social’ in Social Mediasphere in India 54 2.1 Introduction 54 2.2 Remapping ‘Social’ in Digital Lives 55 2.3 Digital Social Mediasphere Landscapes 58 2.4 When Lived Digitally? 61 2.5 Scrolling Through the Spatial Senses 62 2.6 Why Does/Doesn’t ‘Social’ Matter? 63 2.7 Digital Socialization 66 2.8 Mapping Social as Trolls 68 2.9 Conclusion 71 Appendix A 71 Appendix B 73 Section 66A in the Information Technology Act, 2000 73 References 73 3 Spatial Mapping of Social Mediasphere in India 76 3.1 Introduction 76 3.2 Cartographies of Communication 77 3.3 Social Mediasphere: Why Called as ‘Rational Technology’? 78 3.4 The Digital Generation 82 3.5 People’s Perception and Social Media: A Spatial Understanding 84 3.6 Networks and Social Mediasphere 87 3.7 Social Mediasphere Analysis (SMA): A Spatial Linkages 89 3.7.1 Degree Centrality 90 3.7.2 Betweenness Centrality 90 3.7.3 Closeness Centrality 90 3.7.4 Network Centrality 90 3.8 Is Social Mediasphere Bridging the Gap in Rural Areas? 91 3.9 Spatial Mapping of Communication 93 3.10 Social Mediasphere and Globalization 95 3.11 The Concept of Diffusion of Innovation 97 3.12 Conclusion 98 References 99 4 Electoral Mapping of Social Mediasphere in India 100 4.1 Introduction 100 4.2 Social Mediasphere and the Election in India 101 4.3 Social Mediasphere: New Political Tool 103 4.4 Political Communication and Social Mediasphere in India 106 4.5 Political Participation and Digital Public Sphere 109 4.6 Social Mediasphere: Formation of Public Opinion 111 4.7 Hidden Agenda: Election Campaign in India 112 4.8 Digital Change in Election in India 118 4.9 Political Mapping of Social Mediasphere in India 120 4.10 Conclusion 122 References 123 5 Geographies of Semiotics in Social Mediasphere in India 126 5.1 Introduction 126 5.2 Mapping Semiotics 127 5.2.1 Contours of Signs in Semiotic Theory 127 5.2.2 The Saussurean Semiotics 128 5.3 Landscapes of Semiotics in Communication 130 5.3.1 Signs and Advertising 131 5.3.2 Material Culture 131 5.3.3 Activities and Performance 132 5.3.4 Music and Sound Effects 132 5.3.5 Signs and Truth 133 5.3.6 Language and Speaking 133 5.4 Social Media and Semiotics 133 5.4.1 Semiotics Communication Model 134 5.4.2 Semiotics for Sentiments and Affects 137 5.5 Nature of Emoticons/Semiotics 138 5.5.1 Evolution of Emoticons/Emojis 138 5.5.2 Emoticons/semiotics as Non-Verbal Communication 140 5.5.3 Generational and Cultural Variations in Usage of Emojis 141 5.6 Relevance of Semiotics/Emoticons in Social Mediasphere 142 5.6.1 Impacts of Semiotics/emoticons on Message 143 5.6.2 Emoticons and Social Mediasphere 143 5.6.3 Emoticons as Linguistic Components 144 5.6.4 Production and Distribution of Semiotics on Social Mediasphere 144 5.6.5 Semiotics Communication Model of Instagram 145 5.7 Semiotics Changed the Mode of Communication Through Social Mediasphere? 145 5.7.1 Expressing Ourselves 147 5.7.2 Collective Semantic Intelligence 148 5.8 Conclusion 149 References 149 6 Social Mediasphere and Economic Activities in India 151 6.1 Introduction 151 6.2 Different Business Model 152 6.3 Features of Social Mediasphere Marketing 154 6.3.1 Social Commerce 155 6.3.2 Social Mediasphere and HR Practices 156 6.3.3 Social Media and Recruitments 157 6.3.4 Social Mediasphere and Small Business 157 6.3.5 Social Mediasphere and Public Relations 158 6.3.6 Social Mediasphere Changed the Business Model 158 6.4 Does Social Media Revolutionized Economic Activities 160 6.4.1 Impact of Social Mediasphere for Business Growth and Performance 162 6.4.2 Section of People Depend on Social Mediasphere for Business 162 6.5 Can Social Mediasphere Be Called as Economic Media? 163 6.5.1 Facebook Business Model 164 6.6 Conclusion 165 References 166 7 Spatial Mapping of Digital Shutdown in India 167 7.1 Introduction 167 7.2 Undermining Freedom of Expression/Speech 171 7.3 Surveillance Tool for the State 173 7.4 The Legal Aspects of Shutdowns 174 7.5 Digital Economy of Shutdown 176 7.6 Digital Governance During Shutdown 177 7.7 Conclusion 178 Appendix A 178 Appendix B 179 Appendix C 180 References 181 8 Political Economy of Spatial Turn in Digital Landscapes 183 8.1 Spatial Turn in Virtual Landscapes 183 8.2 Spatial-Digital Compression 187 References 188 Index 190