Drawing on theoretical explanations of political information consumption, political selfexpressio... more Drawing on theoretical explanations of political information consumption, political selfexpression, and social media affordances, this article examines the engagement of social media users from Latvia with political content in the context of parliamentary elections. According to the results of semi-structured interviews (N = 49), social media can facilitate following politics and expose users to information they have not been actively seeking out. While users are able to curate their newsfeeds, not all of the interviewees did so actively to disengage from political content even though they were not interested in it and displayed signs of information overload. This kind of incidental exposure did not substantially contribute to their willingness to engage with politics. Although many interviewees were politically active in some way, their hesitation to express their opinions about political matters persisted. This is explained by a perception of political participation as activities that should be undertaken in private, rather than publicly communicated. Furthermore, social media affordances that allow users to be visible and identifiable are shown to exacerbate the obstacles to expressing political views.
A number of previous studies have documented the link between media literacy and civic or politic... more A number of previous studies have documented the link between media literacy and civic or political participation, and some researchers argue that the advancement of media literacy may encourage citizens to take part in addressing various issues of societal concern. However, the previous studies tend to include relatively few civic or political activities in the measurements and do not demonstrate in detail how different dimensions of media literacy are related to particular forms of participation. This study addresses these issues using survey data from Latvia (N = 871). The results show that a link between media literacy and civic participation exists, but media literacy explains a relatively small variance in civic participation activities. We advocate caution when considering whether media literacy itself promotes civic participation, because other phenomena, which further studies should explore, could contribute to both media literacy and civic participation. While acknowledging the general importance of media literacy, this paper argues that individuals with these skills do not necessarily use them for civic participation, and that increased levels of media literacy may not offset the structural reasons for low civic activity in a society.
This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the so... more This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the social networking sites used by Latvian migrants. Although migrants as well as other people use various personal media, including Skype, chat apps such as WhatsApp and telephones, social networking sites stand out with the diversity of functions in migrant communication. This includes one-to-one exchanges, group communication and the ability to locate and connect with users who may or may not be familiar offline. We argue that social networking sites and particularly thematic groups on these sites that migrants create and join serve as forums or bulletin boards where they exchange practical information and are able to communicate with other Latvians who live nearby – and that these uses have implications for the communication of identity. The empirical data in the chapter comes from 20 semi-structured interviews with Latvian migrants who live in a variety of countries and were recruited fo...
In the present doctoral thesis, I analyze interactions by individuals that take place in online s... more In the present doctoral thesis, I analyze interactions by individuals that take place in online social networking sites and evaluate them against users’ offline contacts. The theoretical framework is built upon social capital theory, Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical approach, Anthony Giddens’ concept of ‘pure relationships’, and accounts of online communities. Empirical data were gathered through online survey, textual analysis of online diary entries, social network analysis, observations, and interviews with site users. Manifestations of social capital in three social networking sites Sviesta ciba, Draugiem.lv, and LiveJournal were analyzed. These sites were also evaluated as spaces in which online communities can develop. Further attention is paid to Sviesta ciba online community in which users exchange emotional, informational and also material support. Basing on theoretical considerations and empirical data, I evaluate ‘diffused intimacy’ model which is used to describe relationships that are based on trust and self-disclosure.
Maģistra darbā „Morālās panikas diskurss 20. gs. 70.–80. gadu presē: Jura Blaumaņa publikāciju an... more Maģistra darbā „Morālās panikas diskurss 20. gs. 70.–80. gadu presē: Jura Blaumaņa publikāciju analīze” analizēta žurnālista J. Blaumaņa publicistika stagnācijas laikā presē vērojamās morālās panikas kontekstā. Darba teorētiskajā daļā izklāstīta morālās panikas teorija, ideoloģijas un populārās kultūras attiecības, kā arī sodīšanas un nozieguma teorijas. Empīriskajā daļā, izmantojot tiesas zāles koncepciju un kritiskās diskursa analīzes pieeju, atklātas J. Blaumaņa diskursa īpatnības, vadot meditēto tiesas sēdi, ar kuras palīdzību simboliski tiek atjaunota sociālā kārtība. Kriminālajai tematikai veltīto publikāciju pieaugums, kā arī auditorijas iesaistīšanās skaidrota morālās panikas kontekstā.
Atslēgvārdi: „Padomju Jaunatne”, Juris Blaumanis, morālā panika, preses diskurss, stagnācija, sods, ideoloģija, noziedzība
Akadēmiskais godīgums e-tehnoloģiju kontekstā: izpausmes, uzraudzība un kontrole, 2008
Negodīgums akadēmiskajā vidē ir visai izplatīta parādība — gan Latvijā, gan citās valstīs. Dažādi... more Negodīgums akadēmiskajā vidē ir visai izplatīta parādība — gan Latvijā, gan citās valstīs. Dažādi pētījumi par studentu negodīgu rīcību ir parādījuši plašu krāpšanās gadījumu amplitūdu — no 13 %, kas ir salīdzinoši zems rādītājs, līdz 95 %.1 Negodīgumam lielākas iespējas izpausties darbos, kas veikti ārpus lekcijām un prom no pasniedzēju skatiena, un šajā ziņā plaģiāts akadēmisko darbu rakstīšanā ir viena no nopietnākajām problēmām augstskolās. Plaģiāts var būt gan apzināta negodīguma, gan paviršības, gan neinformētības rezultāts.
Environment. Technology. Resources. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference
The present study reviews environment-related articles in official newsletters issued by municipa... more The present study reviews environment-related articles in official newsletters issued by municipalities in Latvia. It evaluates the themes and contents associated with environment in order to evaluate the performance of newsletters as providers of relevant information to the population. Official publications of four Latvian municipalities—Mazsalaca, Jūrmala, Krāslava, and Kandava—were analyzed. Common themes included nature and its protection, history of the place, social and cultural events, quality of life and performance of the municipality. A widespread approach of engaging the local population is to hold contests and competitions. However, it is uncertain if the response rate help raising the civic participation level significantly. The official newsletters are willing to publish environment-related public relations materials prepared by other institutions of companies, without exhibiting consistent editorial policy of their own. The implications of the continued publication of...
This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the so... more This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the social networking sites used by Latvian migrants. Although migrants as well as other people use various personal media, including Skype, chat apps such as WhatsApp and telephones, social networking sites stand out with the diversity of functions in migrant communication. This includes one-to-one exchanges, group communication and the ability to locate and connect with users who may or may not be familiar offline. We argue that social networking sites and particularly thematic groups on these sites that migrants create and join serve as forums or bulletin boards where they exchange practical information and are able to communicate with other Latvians who live nearby – and that these uses have implications for the communication of identity. The empirical data in the chapter comes from 20 semi-structured interviews with Latvian migrants who live in a variety of countries and were recruited fo...
This article explores the relationship between social networking site use and mass media consumpt... more This article explores the relationship between social networking site use and mass media consumption. Based on data from an online survey, the study examines the consumption of print media, radio, television, online news sites, and social media by Latvian users of three social networking sites. According to the findings, most of the surveyed social networking site users regularly consume other media, although they are more likely to consume online news media than print or broadcast media. However, those users who spend the most time on social networking sites do not exhibit much interest in other types of media. Thus, the main distinction among the surveyed individuals is not between online and traditional media use but rather between the use of social media and traditional/journalism-based media. These results are relevant to the discussions of the potential of social media to attract audiences for the mass media.
Komunikācijas zinātne ir veidojusies, pārņemot un attīstot dažādu citu zinātņu nozaru idejas un p... more Komunikācijas zinātne ir veidojusies, pārņemot un attīstot dažādu citu zinātņu nozaru idejas un piedāvājot tādus sociālo procesu skaidrojumus, kas izceļ saziņas un mijiedarbības centrālo nozīmi tajos. Šo komunikācijas zinātnes daudzveidību, starpdisciplinaritāti un vienlaikus tās kā patstāvīgas akadēmiskās disciplīnas dabu demonstrē šogad latviski iznākusī Greifsvaldes Universitātes profesora Klausa Beka grāmata “Mediju un komunikācijas zinātne”.
Raksts ir grāmatas recenzija.
Shared standards of ethics are an important element of the journalism profession. However, consid... more Shared standards of ethics are an important element of the journalism profession. However, considerable cultural and individual differences exist in media workers’ views of what the main principles of journalism ethics are and what conduct those principles prescribe and prohibit. The aim of this paper is to examine media editors’ views on what constitutes ethical conduct and their decision-making concerning the application of ethics principles to practice. The data source is 20 semi-structured interviews with editors of various Latvian media outlets. Only half of the newsrooms included in this study had a code of ethics, and the editors tended to put more emphasis on unwritten rules. Decisions tend to be made situationally though deliberation among the staff or based on the authority of the editor. The interviewees generally agreed on the basic principles of ethics in their abstract form. However, few of them indicated awareness of the ambiguities and constraints of the abstract terms they employ to describe professional ethics, such as objectivity. Furthermore, the editors tended to conflate ethics principles with legal regulations or feedback from the audience. The results show that the way media workers talk about ethics reflects both their professional ideals and non-ethics factors that shape journalism practice.
Information literacy in politics increases political awareness and effectiveness of citizen actio... more Information literacy in politics increases political awareness and effectiveness of citizen action. Awareness allows a person, though observation of events, to recognise the political substance of different issues and events. Political literacy, in turn, helps a person to navigate various political issues, such as finding and use information from various sources, formulating a reasoned opinion, and use diverse state and municipal services both in person and online.
Pētījuma “Diasporas politikas attīstība” mērķis ir sniegt pamatotu informāciju un ekspertu rekome... more Pētījuma “Diasporas politikas attīstība” mērķis ir sniegt pamatotu informāciju un ekspertu rekomendācijas diasporas politikas attīstībai, padziļināti izzinot konkrētus problēmjautājumus, kuru risinājumi šobrīd ir neskaidri. Ziņojums pievēršas trim problēmjautājumiem: 1. Eiropas valstu prakse: diasporas likumi un definīcijas; 2. Diasporas politikas īstenošanas mehānismi un diasporas pārstāvniecība sarunās ar valsti; 3. Efektīva komunikācija ar diasporu.
The emigrant communities of Latvia: National identity, transnational belonging, and diaspora politics, 2019
This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the so... more This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the social networking sites used by Latvian migrants. Although migrants as well as other people use various personal media, including Skype, chat apps such as WhatsApp and telephones, social networking sites stand out with the diversity of functions in migrant communication. This includes one-to-one exchanges, group communication and the ability to locate and connect with users who may or may not be familiar offline. We argue that social networking sites and particularly thematic groups on these sites that migrants create and join serve as forums or bulletin boards where they exchange practical information and are able to communicate with other Latvians who live nearby – and that these uses have implications for the communication of identity. The empirical data in the chapter comes from 20 semi-structured interviews with Latvian migrants who live in a variety of countries and were recruited for the study on social networking sites, as well as survey data, all of which were collected within the research project The Emigrant Communities of Latvia: National Identity, Transnational Relations and Diaspora Politics. The results demonstrate that migrant interactions on social networking sites do not necessarily lead to the homogenisation of migrants’ conception of what ‘being a Latvian’ means. The increased ability to maintain associations with diverse online and offline social circles provides a migrant with a variety of identity elements to associate with. As a result, hybrid identities may emerge. A migrant can identify with the host society yet still reject some of its characteristics – and choose Latvian alternatives instead.
Conflicting accounts exist regarding the influence of online-based communication platforms on the... more Conflicting accounts exist regarding the influence of online-based communication platforms on the development of cross-border migrants' networks. It has been reported that such platforms can either promote migrants' participation in the host society or support secluded ethnic networks at the expense of developing ties with the local population. This article examines this issue through the analysis of the accumulation of online-based social capital among first-generation Latvian migrants. The study is based on interviews with 20 Latvians living in other countries who are frequent users of social networking sites and a survey of Latvian migrants (N = 14,068). Migrants use social networking sites to maintain ties with friends and relatives in Latvia and also to broaden their networks and enable access to relevant information and contacts. Rather than interpreting social networking site-mediated communication among migrants as the accumulation of either bridging or bonding social capital, this article highlights the limitations of construing this pair of concepts as a binary opposition. In their online connections, Latvian migrants develop 'dispersed ties'—a bonding connection with fellow Latvians as a group and simultaneously bridging connections with individual members of the group, which increase heterogeneity of their networks and serve instrumental functions.
This paper examines the content of four local Latvian newspapers in order to find out how the med... more This paper examines the content of four local Latvian newspapers in order to find out how the media construct the environment of four inhabited places — Mazsalaca, Kandava, Krāslava, and Ķemeri. The analysis of newspapers “Liesma,” “Neatkarīgās Tukuma ziņas,” “Ezerzeme” and “Jūrmalas vārds” show that during the last six months of 2017, the most prominent themes that describe local landscapes were nature and ecology, agriculture, social environment, people, surroundings, and events, belonging and identity and borders. While the newspapers differ in the attention they pay to some themes, the dominating meanings attached to the places they cover share similarities. The newspapers acknowledge the social and economic challenges of the places they cover, but at the same time, they emphasize what they interpret as unique qualities of the place, such as nature, people, and cultural heritage. Thus, the analysis shows how media, through negotiating and enforcing meanings of physical environments, take part in shaping local landscapes, which emerge as culturally grounded symbolic expressions held by the involved social groups.
Informācijpratība politikā palīdz vairot politisko apzināšanos un iedzīvotāju rīcības efektivitāt... more Informācijpratība politikā palīdz vairot politisko apzināšanos un iedzīvotāju rīcības efektivitāti. Par apzināšanos liecina tas, ka, vērojot notikumus, cilvēks spēj nolasīt dažādu problēmu jautājumu un notikumu politisko būtību. Savukārt par efektivitāti — tas, ka politikpratība palīdz orientēties dažādās problēmsituācijās, piemēram, meklēt un izmantot informāciju no dažādiem avotiem, formulēt pamatotu viedokli, lietot dažādus valsts pārvaldes un pašvaldību pakalpojumus gan klātienē, gan arī tiešsaistē.
Drawing on theoretical explanations of political information consumption, political selfexpressio... more Drawing on theoretical explanations of political information consumption, political selfexpression, and social media affordances, this article examines the engagement of social media users from Latvia with political content in the context of parliamentary elections. According to the results of semi-structured interviews (N = 49), social media can facilitate following politics and expose users to information they have not been actively seeking out. While users are able to curate their newsfeeds, not all of the interviewees did so actively to disengage from political content even though they were not interested in it and displayed signs of information overload. This kind of incidental exposure did not substantially contribute to their willingness to engage with politics. Although many interviewees were politically active in some way, their hesitation to express their opinions about political matters persisted. This is explained by a perception of political participation as activities that should be undertaken in private, rather than publicly communicated. Furthermore, social media affordances that allow users to be visible and identifiable are shown to exacerbate the obstacles to expressing political views.
A number of previous studies have documented the link between media literacy and civic or politic... more A number of previous studies have documented the link between media literacy and civic or political participation, and some researchers argue that the advancement of media literacy may encourage citizens to take part in addressing various issues of societal concern. However, the previous studies tend to include relatively few civic or political activities in the measurements and do not demonstrate in detail how different dimensions of media literacy are related to particular forms of participation. This study addresses these issues using survey data from Latvia (N = 871). The results show that a link between media literacy and civic participation exists, but media literacy explains a relatively small variance in civic participation activities. We advocate caution when considering whether media literacy itself promotes civic participation, because other phenomena, which further studies should explore, could contribute to both media literacy and civic participation. While acknowledging the general importance of media literacy, this paper argues that individuals with these skills do not necessarily use them for civic participation, and that increased levels of media literacy may not offset the structural reasons for low civic activity in a society.
This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the so... more This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the social networking sites used by Latvian migrants. Although migrants as well as other people use various personal media, including Skype, chat apps such as WhatsApp and telephones, social networking sites stand out with the diversity of functions in migrant communication. This includes one-to-one exchanges, group communication and the ability to locate and connect with users who may or may not be familiar offline. We argue that social networking sites and particularly thematic groups on these sites that migrants create and join serve as forums or bulletin boards where they exchange practical information and are able to communicate with other Latvians who live nearby – and that these uses have implications for the communication of identity. The empirical data in the chapter comes from 20 semi-structured interviews with Latvian migrants who live in a variety of countries and were recruited fo...
In the present doctoral thesis, I analyze interactions by individuals that take place in online s... more In the present doctoral thesis, I analyze interactions by individuals that take place in online social networking sites and evaluate them against users’ offline contacts. The theoretical framework is built upon social capital theory, Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical approach, Anthony Giddens’ concept of ‘pure relationships’, and accounts of online communities. Empirical data were gathered through online survey, textual analysis of online diary entries, social network analysis, observations, and interviews with site users. Manifestations of social capital in three social networking sites Sviesta ciba, Draugiem.lv, and LiveJournal were analyzed. These sites were also evaluated as spaces in which online communities can develop. Further attention is paid to Sviesta ciba online community in which users exchange emotional, informational and also material support. Basing on theoretical considerations and empirical data, I evaluate ‘diffused intimacy’ model which is used to describe relationships that are based on trust and self-disclosure.
Maģistra darbā „Morālās panikas diskurss 20. gs. 70.–80. gadu presē: Jura Blaumaņa publikāciju an... more Maģistra darbā „Morālās panikas diskurss 20. gs. 70.–80. gadu presē: Jura Blaumaņa publikāciju analīze” analizēta žurnālista J. Blaumaņa publicistika stagnācijas laikā presē vērojamās morālās panikas kontekstā. Darba teorētiskajā daļā izklāstīta morālās panikas teorija, ideoloģijas un populārās kultūras attiecības, kā arī sodīšanas un nozieguma teorijas. Empīriskajā daļā, izmantojot tiesas zāles koncepciju un kritiskās diskursa analīzes pieeju, atklātas J. Blaumaņa diskursa īpatnības, vadot meditēto tiesas sēdi, ar kuras palīdzību simboliski tiek atjaunota sociālā kārtība. Kriminālajai tematikai veltīto publikāciju pieaugums, kā arī auditorijas iesaistīšanās skaidrota morālās panikas kontekstā.
Atslēgvārdi: „Padomju Jaunatne”, Juris Blaumanis, morālā panika, preses diskurss, stagnācija, sods, ideoloģija, noziedzība
Akadēmiskais godīgums e-tehnoloģiju kontekstā: izpausmes, uzraudzība un kontrole, 2008
Negodīgums akadēmiskajā vidē ir visai izplatīta parādība — gan Latvijā, gan citās valstīs. Dažādi... more Negodīgums akadēmiskajā vidē ir visai izplatīta parādība — gan Latvijā, gan citās valstīs. Dažādi pētījumi par studentu negodīgu rīcību ir parādījuši plašu krāpšanās gadījumu amplitūdu — no 13 %, kas ir salīdzinoši zems rādītājs, līdz 95 %.1 Negodīgumam lielākas iespējas izpausties darbos, kas veikti ārpus lekcijām un prom no pasniedzēju skatiena, un šajā ziņā plaģiāts akadēmisko darbu rakstīšanā ir viena no nopietnākajām problēmām augstskolās. Plaģiāts var būt gan apzināta negodīguma, gan paviršības, gan neinformētības rezultāts.
Environment. Technology. Resources. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference
The present study reviews environment-related articles in official newsletters issued by municipa... more The present study reviews environment-related articles in official newsletters issued by municipalities in Latvia. It evaluates the themes and contents associated with environment in order to evaluate the performance of newsletters as providers of relevant information to the population. Official publications of four Latvian municipalities—Mazsalaca, Jūrmala, Krāslava, and Kandava—were analyzed. Common themes included nature and its protection, history of the place, social and cultural events, quality of life and performance of the municipality. A widespread approach of engaging the local population is to hold contests and competitions. However, it is uncertain if the response rate help raising the civic participation level significantly. The official newsletters are willing to publish environment-related public relations materials prepared by other institutions of companies, without exhibiting consistent editorial policy of their own. The implications of the continued publication of...
This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the so... more This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the social networking sites used by Latvian migrants. Although migrants as well as other people use various personal media, including Skype, chat apps such as WhatsApp and telephones, social networking sites stand out with the diversity of functions in migrant communication. This includes one-to-one exchanges, group communication and the ability to locate and connect with users who may or may not be familiar offline. We argue that social networking sites and particularly thematic groups on these sites that migrants create and join serve as forums or bulletin boards where they exchange practical information and are able to communicate with other Latvians who live nearby – and that these uses have implications for the communication of identity. The empirical data in the chapter comes from 20 semi-structured interviews with Latvian migrants who live in a variety of countries and were recruited fo...
This article explores the relationship between social networking site use and mass media consumpt... more This article explores the relationship between social networking site use and mass media consumption. Based on data from an online survey, the study examines the consumption of print media, radio, television, online news sites, and social media by Latvian users of three social networking sites. According to the findings, most of the surveyed social networking site users regularly consume other media, although they are more likely to consume online news media than print or broadcast media. However, those users who spend the most time on social networking sites do not exhibit much interest in other types of media. Thus, the main distinction among the surveyed individuals is not between online and traditional media use but rather between the use of social media and traditional/journalism-based media. These results are relevant to the discussions of the potential of social media to attract audiences for the mass media.
Komunikācijas zinātne ir veidojusies, pārņemot un attīstot dažādu citu zinātņu nozaru idejas un p... more Komunikācijas zinātne ir veidojusies, pārņemot un attīstot dažādu citu zinātņu nozaru idejas un piedāvājot tādus sociālo procesu skaidrojumus, kas izceļ saziņas un mijiedarbības centrālo nozīmi tajos. Šo komunikācijas zinātnes daudzveidību, starpdisciplinaritāti un vienlaikus tās kā patstāvīgas akadēmiskās disciplīnas dabu demonstrē šogad latviski iznākusī Greifsvaldes Universitātes profesora Klausa Beka grāmata “Mediju un komunikācijas zinātne”.
Raksts ir grāmatas recenzija.
Shared standards of ethics are an important element of the journalism profession. However, consid... more Shared standards of ethics are an important element of the journalism profession. However, considerable cultural and individual differences exist in media workers’ views of what the main principles of journalism ethics are and what conduct those principles prescribe and prohibit. The aim of this paper is to examine media editors’ views on what constitutes ethical conduct and their decision-making concerning the application of ethics principles to practice. The data source is 20 semi-structured interviews with editors of various Latvian media outlets. Only half of the newsrooms included in this study had a code of ethics, and the editors tended to put more emphasis on unwritten rules. Decisions tend to be made situationally though deliberation among the staff or based on the authority of the editor. The interviewees generally agreed on the basic principles of ethics in their abstract form. However, few of them indicated awareness of the ambiguities and constraints of the abstract terms they employ to describe professional ethics, such as objectivity. Furthermore, the editors tended to conflate ethics principles with legal regulations or feedback from the audience. The results show that the way media workers talk about ethics reflects both their professional ideals and non-ethics factors that shape journalism practice.
Information literacy in politics increases political awareness and effectiveness of citizen actio... more Information literacy in politics increases political awareness and effectiveness of citizen action. Awareness allows a person, though observation of events, to recognise the political substance of different issues and events. Political literacy, in turn, helps a person to navigate various political issues, such as finding and use information from various sources, formulating a reasoned opinion, and use diverse state and municipal services both in person and online.
Pētījuma “Diasporas politikas attīstība” mērķis ir sniegt pamatotu informāciju un ekspertu rekome... more Pētījuma “Diasporas politikas attīstība” mērķis ir sniegt pamatotu informāciju un ekspertu rekomendācijas diasporas politikas attīstībai, padziļināti izzinot konkrētus problēmjautājumus, kuru risinājumi šobrīd ir neskaidri. Ziņojums pievēršas trim problēmjautājumiem: 1. Eiropas valstu prakse: diasporas likumi un definīcijas; 2. Diasporas politikas īstenošanas mehānismi un diasporas pārstāvniecība sarunās ar valsti; 3. Efektīva komunikācija ar diasporu.
The emigrant communities of Latvia: National identity, transnational belonging, and diaspora politics, 2019
This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the so... more This chapter analyses how ethnic transnational identities are manifested and negotiated on the social networking sites used by Latvian migrants. Although migrants as well as other people use various personal media, including Skype, chat apps such as WhatsApp and telephones, social networking sites stand out with the diversity of functions in migrant communication. This includes one-to-one exchanges, group communication and the ability to locate and connect with users who may or may not be familiar offline. We argue that social networking sites and particularly thematic groups on these sites that migrants create and join serve as forums or bulletin boards where they exchange practical information and are able to communicate with other Latvians who live nearby – and that these uses have implications for the communication of identity. The empirical data in the chapter comes from 20 semi-structured interviews with Latvian migrants who live in a variety of countries and were recruited for the study on social networking sites, as well as survey data, all of which were collected within the research project The Emigrant Communities of Latvia: National Identity, Transnational Relations and Diaspora Politics. The results demonstrate that migrant interactions on social networking sites do not necessarily lead to the homogenisation of migrants’ conception of what ‘being a Latvian’ means. The increased ability to maintain associations with diverse online and offline social circles provides a migrant with a variety of identity elements to associate with. As a result, hybrid identities may emerge. A migrant can identify with the host society yet still reject some of its characteristics – and choose Latvian alternatives instead.
Conflicting accounts exist regarding the influence of online-based communication platforms on the... more Conflicting accounts exist regarding the influence of online-based communication platforms on the development of cross-border migrants' networks. It has been reported that such platforms can either promote migrants' participation in the host society or support secluded ethnic networks at the expense of developing ties with the local population. This article examines this issue through the analysis of the accumulation of online-based social capital among first-generation Latvian migrants. The study is based on interviews with 20 Latvians living in other countries who are frequent users of social networking sites and a survey of Latvian migrants (N = 14,068). Migrants use social networking sites to maintain ties with friends and relatives in Latvia and also to broaden their networks and enable access to relevant information and contacts. Rather than interpreting social networking site-mediated communication among migrants as the accumulation of either bridging or bonding social capital, this article highlights the limitations of construing this pair of concepts as a binary opposition. In their online connections, Latvian migrants develop 'dispersed ties'—a bonding connection with fellow Latvians as a group and simultaneously bridging connections with individual members of the group, which increase heterogeneity of their networks and serve instrumental functions.
This paper examines the content of four local Latvian newspapers in order to find out how the med... more This paper examines the content of four local Latvian newspapers in order to find out how the media construct the environment of four inhabited places — Mazsalaca, Kandava, Krāslava, and Ķemeri. The analysis of newspapers “Liesma,” “Neatkarīgās Tukuma ziņas,” “Ezerzeme” and “Jūrmalas vārds” show that during the last six months of 2017, the most prominent themes that describe local landscapes were nature and ecology, agriculture, social environment, people, surroundings, and events, belonging and identity and borders. While the newspapers differ in the attention they pay to some themes, the dominating meanings attached to the places they cover share similarities. The newspapers acknowledge the social and economic challenges of the places they cover, but at the same time, they emphasize what they interpret as unique qualities of the place, such as nature, people, and cultural heritage. Thus, the analysis shows how media, through negotiating and enforcing meanings of physical environments, take part in shaping local landscapes, which emerge as culturally grounded symbolic expressions held by the involved social groups.
Informācijpratība politikā palīdz vairot politisko apzināšanos un iedzīvotāju rīcības efektivitāt... more Informācijpratība politikā palīdz vairot politisko apzināšanos un iedzīvotāju rīcības efektivitāti. Par apzināšanos liecina tas, ka, vērojot notikumus, cilvēks spēj nolasīt dažādu problēmu jautājumu un notikumu politisko būtību. Savukārt par efektivitāti — tas, ka politikpratība palīdz orientēties dažādās problēmsituācijās, piemēram, meklēt un izmantot informāciju no dažādiem avotiem, formulēt pamatotu viedokli, lietot dažādus valsts pārvaldes un pašvaldību pakalpojumus gan klātienē, gan arī tiešsaistē.
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Atslēgvārdi: „Padomju Jaunatne”, Juris Blaumanis, morālā panika, preses diskurss, stagnācija, sods, ideoloģija, noziedzība
Raksts ir grāmatas recenzija.
1. Eiropas valstu prakse: diasporas likumi un definīcijas;
2. Diasporas politikas īstenošanas mehānismi un diasporas pārstāvniecība sarunās ar valsti;
3. Efektīva komunikācija ar diasporu.
Atslēgvārdi: „Padomju Jaunatne”, Juris Blaumanis, morālā panika, preses diskurss, stagnācija, sods, ideoloģija, noziedzība
Raksts ir grāmatas recenzija.
1. Eiropas valstu prakse: diasporas likumi un definīcijas;
2. Diasporas politikas īstenošanas mehānismi un diasporas pārstāvniecība sarunās ar valsti;
3. Efektīva komunikācija ar diasporu.