Breaking Down Barriers of Culture and Geography? Caring-at-a-Distance through Web 2.0. Issue 4 (2nd October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hawkins, Roberta
• Is Part Of: New political science. Volume 40:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 727
• Page End: 743
• Publication Date: 2018-10-02
• Subjects: Political science -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Periodicals; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1080/07393148.2018.1528534
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0739-3148

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article analyzes Join My Village (JMV), an NGO–corporation partnership that aims to "break down barriers of culture and geography" using the "power of online communities." JMV uses Web 2.0 technologies to entice online users in the USA to engage with content about women's lives in Malawi. Each time a user clicks on JMV content, the corporate partners donate money to the NGO. Using discourse analysis and interviews, I examine how JMV encourages users to care about distant others and with what effects. I draw attention to the use of Web 2.0 in the campaign in terms of how distant others become entangled in social media users' everyday lives and the types of engagement JMV encourages. I conclude that while JMV offers some possibilities for caring-at-a-distance, the contradictory messaging and the corporate aspects of the campaign need more critical analysis.