Nomads on Facebook

Access to new social media created new opportunities for various groups to get visibility in the (inter-)national arena in the 2012 Northern Mali conflict, Lotte Pelckmans writes in this article published in theJournal of African Media Studies.

The article focuses on the use of media by groups in conflict areas, and in the 2012 Northern Mali conflict more specifically. Tentatively, the article maps various sets of actors and their connections in terms of on- and offline information.

The conclusion is that the exchange of visuals (movies) and ideas (postings) on facebook have real consequences for the political agency of otherwise voiceless groups such as the nomadic Fulani.