October 5, 2017
Wisconsin Russia Project post-doctoral scholar, Megan Metzger, presented her research at CREECA’s regular lecture series: “Social Media, Non-Locals and Information During EuroMaidan.” In her talk, she explored how social media may shape information exchange during protest: by changing who can exchange information widely. We know from previous research that non-locals sometimes represent a significant portion of the people exchanging information about protest online, but what is their role, and what does their presence change about how information is transmitted during protest and about the informational environment as a whole? What are the implications of these changes for the dynamics of protest? Metzger addressed these questions using evidence from recent protests in Ukraine.