Examining User Participation in Digital Media: Media and Change Series

Digital communication technologies have enabled user participation in information processes. Nowadays, anyone can upload a photo or video of a news event to a network and become a source of media; they can appeal to journalists directly via forums and social networks. This has redrawn the scenario of public communication and has opened the debate on whether such participation has real value in the democratization of information; whether it contributes to recover the theories of public sphere; and weather it applies to the digital environment.

Jesus Cruz Alvarez has a BA degree in Journalism and Communication Studies from the University of Seville (Spain) and an MA in Human Rights and Peace Culture from the University of Cordoba (Spain). In 2012, he gained a four-year research grant at the University of Seville to develop a PhD project in Ethics and Social Implications of Users' Participation in Digital Media. He also works on this topic as a member of a three-year project funded by the Spanish government. His research interests are, among others, digital media, participatory networks, social movements, e-democracy and media ethics.