Monthly Archives: October 2012

The Meme Election

Posted on October 31, 2012 by

For Al Jazeera, I wrote about the “meme election” and how the focus on internet memes masks broader political issues: Memes are defined as units of culture which spread virally through commentary, imitations and parody. As Hess noted, they are “crowd-sourced” - but … Continue reading →

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Heading to Baku

Posted on October 25, 2012 by

It has been a busy October – this month I spoke at the Registan conference in DC, the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, and the Central Eurasian Studies Society conference in Indiana, and next week I’m off to Azerbaijan for … Continue reading →

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The Mercilessness of Digital Media

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

For Al Jazeera, I wrote about the suicide of Amanda Todd, a teenager who was bullied and stalked online before committing suicide last week: Digital memory spares no mercy. For teenagers like Amanda Todd, one regrettable decision can transform one’s … Continue reading →

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Academic Paywalls Codify Elitism

Posted on October 7, 2012 by

I have returned from the Registan conference on  Social Trends and Stability in Central Asia, where I spoke on a roundtable panel about human rights in Uzbekistan with Jim Bigus from the State Department, Steve Swerdlow from Human Rights Watch, … Continue reading →

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