We are hosting a 2-day in-person and hybrid event at the University of Michigan that features talks and discussions with social media influencers, industry professionals, and scholars on the work and impact of social media influencers on aspects of daily life. Full list of speakers and sessions below. Please register free to attend online. https://influencers.conference.si.umich.edu **** Social Media Influencers and the New Political Economy in South Asia and Africa *April 7-8, 2022, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor* In Person at Room 2435, North Quad, 105 State Street, Ann Arbor, and available online upon registration 9 AM – 6 PM, US Eastern Time *Apply to Attend <https://forms.gle/7qSmERXtWH8ECFBF8>* Social media influencer activity on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn are now pivotal to social influence in societies around the world, as the ecology of the public sphere gets increasingly crafted, amplified, or negated by what happens online. This is as true, or more so in the Global South, where social media has often served as the gateway for entry into the online realm for millions of technology users with little or no prior experience. The resulting world is one in which the boundaries between the physical and the virtual has fundamentally reshaped power equations between the citizens and the state, their culture, and their communities. This symposium at the University of Michigan is focused on social media influencers, and brings a host of leaders, artistes, journalists, activists, commentators, and scholars from two of the fastest growing Internet-using regions of the world to discuss how they interact online, what drives their activities and success, and how being public figures online impacts their lives and work. ScheduleDay 1: April 7, 2022 (all times US Eastern Time) Opening Remarks *9:00 AM* *Omolade Adunbi <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/oadunbi.html>* and *Joyojeet Pal <http://joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/>* Session 1: Democracy and Institutions *9:05 AM – 10.50 AM, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair*: *Matthew Hull <https://lsa.umich.edu/anthro/people/faculty/socio-cultural-faculty/hullm.html>*, Chair, Center for South Asia Studies, University of Michigan Resisting Erasure: Social Media & the Campaign against Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan *Nida Yasmeen Kirmani <https://lums.edu.pk/lums_employee/2864>*, Assocate Professor of Sociology, Lahore University of Management Sciences (Twitter <https://twitter.com/NidaKirmani>) Countering the "Toolkit" Attack on India's Leading Opposition Party *Rajeev Gowda <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajeev_Gowda>, *Former Member of Parliament, India (Twitter <https://twitter.com/rajeevgowda>) Democracy or Demagoguery? An Assessment of Social Media's Role in Shaping Politics and Society in Sri Lanka *A’ndre Gonawela <https://andregonawela.com/>, *Podcaster (Spotify <https://open.spotify.com/show/4nQi6GIGHtajLaH2NeHqdb>) #IStandWithKDF: Social Media & the New Military Normal in Kenya *Samar Al Bulushi <https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/samaralbulushi/>, *Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine (Twitter <https://twitter.com/samar42>) Keynote *11.00 AM – 12:00 PM**, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* How social media unmade and made me: the changing contours of celebrity and activism in 'New India *Swara Bhaskar <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swara_Bhasker>, *Actor and Activist (Twitter <https://twitter.com/reallyswara>, Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/reallyswara/>) *Discussant: Swapnil Rai <https://lsa.umich.edu/ftvm/people/faculty/swapnilr.html>, *Assistant Professor of Film, Television and Media, University of Michigan Session 2: Internet Subcultures *1:00 PM - 2.50 PM, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair*: *Ram Mahalingam <https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/faculty/ramawasi.html>*, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan Sex Scandals in Digital Kinshasa. Influencers, diasporas, and ritual innovation in a digitized world* ,* *Katrien Pype <https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/dasa/pype-katrien.aspx>*, Associate Professor, KU Leuven Love (and Hate) In the Time of Instagram *Priya Ramani <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priya_Ramani>*, Journalist, Founder IndiaLove project (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/indialoveproject/>) The Khabar Lahariya Story: Digital Waves in India's Hinterland *Geeta Devi <https://www.indiaspend.com/geeta-devi>, *Journalist (YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/c/KhabarLahariyaDigital>, Twitter <https://twitter.com/geetaklbanda>) Social Media hierarchies and their subversion by marginalised creators on the digital landscape *Priyanka Paul <https://artwhoring.com/>, *Artist (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/artwhoring/>) Session 3: New Voices Online *3:00 PM - 4:45 PM, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair: Mustafa Naseem <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/mustafa-naseem>, *Clinical Assistant Professor of Information, University of Michigan Social Media activism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal *Bal Krishna Sharma <https://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/faculty-staff/bal-sharma>*, Assistant Professor, University of Idaho Strategies and practices of Bangladeshi Facebook microcelebrities in sociopolitical discourses *Dipto Das <https://www.colorado.edu/cmci/people/graduate-students/information-science/dipto-das>*, PhD Student, University of Colorado (Twitter <https://twitter.com/diptodas175>) How TikTok took over Pakistani working class *Nighat Dad <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighat_Dad>*, Lawyer and Activist, Digital Rights Foundation, Facebook Independent Oversight Board ( Twitter <https://twitter.com/nighatdad>) Cultural Netizenship and the Production of the Social Media Influencer in Nigeria *James Yeku <https://jamesyeku.com/>*, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Session 4: Student Research Lightning Showcase *4:45 PM - 5:00 PM* Fireside Chat *5.00 PM – 6:00 PM**, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* Social Media as Resistance *Rumman Chowdhury <http://www.rummanchowdhury.com/>, *Director, META (ML Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability), Twitter (Twitter <https://twitter.com/ruchowdh>) in conversation with *Libby Hemphill <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/libby-hemphill>, *Associate Professor of Information, University of Michigan (Twitter <https://twitter.com/libbyh>) Day 2: April 8, 2022 (all times US Eastern Time) Session 5: The Business of Influencing *9:00 AM - 10:50 AM, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* The politics of corporate Twitter engagement: a comparative analysis of India and the US *Shehla Rashid <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shehla_Rashid>, *Jawaharlal Nehru University (Twitter <https://twitter.com/Shehla_Rashid>) India's Social Media Marketing Revolution *Hardik Rajgor <http://www.hardism.com/>, *Writer (Twitter <https://twitter.com/hardism>) Influencer Management on LinkedIn *Tanya Dubey <https://in.linkedin.com/in/tanyadubey>, *Creator Manager, LinkedIn Entrepreneurship, Yoruba Nollywood and Social Media in Africa *Olubunmi Ojediran (Ruby Sparkling) <https://www.instagram.com/its_rubysparkling/>*, Actor, Entreprenuer ( Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/its_rubysparkling/>) Session 6: Comedy and Power *11:00 AM - 12:50 PM, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair: Rebekah Modrak <https://stamps.umich.edu/people/rebekah-modrak>, *Professor, Stamps School of Art and Design University of Michigan At the risk of sounding funny *Swineryy <https://www.instagram.com/swineryy/>, *Comedian (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/swineryy/>) Using sarcasm to mobilise dissent in a nation where facts don’t matter *Aakar Patel <https://twitter.com/aakar__patel>, *Author, Chair, Amnesty International India (Twitter <https://twitter.com/Aakar__Patel>) Whose LAN is it anyway: A Study of Internet sub-cultures in India *Anurag Minus Verma <https://open.spotify.com/show/19bjmIcW7eNKccki8LwO2r>, *Podcaster, Columnist (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/anuragminusverma>, Spotify <https://open.spotify.com/show/19bjmIcW7eNKccki8LwO2r>) Beyond Entertainment - Role of YouTube Influencers In India *Akash Banerjee <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmTM_hPCeckqN3cPWtYZZcg>, *Satirist ( YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmTM_hPCeckqN3cPWtYZZcg>, Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/akashbanerjee.in/>) Session 7: Information Freedom *2:00 PM - 3:50 PM, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair: Howard Stein <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/howstein.html>*, Professor, Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan Misinformation and Hate Speech on WhatsApp in India *Kiran Garimella <https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/garimella-kiran>, *Assistant Professor, Rutgers University (Twitter <https://twitter.com/gvrkiran>) Killing Digital Freedom with the Hammer: The Folly of Social Media Regulation in Nigeria *Aminu Mahmud <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Aminu_Mahmud>, *Human Rights Lawyer, Essayist, Poet (Twitter <https://twitter.com/abdulmahmud01>) Social Media: Enabling our Dissent & Destroying our Democracy *Josy Joseph <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josy_Joseph>, *Investigative Journalist and Author (Twitter <https://twitter.com/josyjosephkj>) Social Media Fueling Rights-Based Resistance Movements in Pakistan *Gulalai Ismail <https://twitter.com/gulalai_ismail>*, Activist (Twitter <https://twitter.com/Gulalai_Ismail>) Session 8: Student Session *4:00 PM - 5:30 PM*, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad Political Influencers on Facebook: The role of Informal Agents in Digital Election Campaigns *Neelesh Agrawal <https://tcpd.ashoka.edu.in/team/>, Shivam Gangwani, Ishika Sharan, Ananay Agarwal, *Ashoka University The Social Media Skit Industry in Nigeria: Economy, Power, Tensions *Godwin Iretomiwa Simon <https://research.qut.edu.au/dmrc/people/godwin-simon/>, *Queensland University of Technology The Vernacular Influencer: Case Study of an Indic Challenger to Twitter *Nikhila Natarajan <https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/natarajan-nikhila>, *Rutgers University

From MTV to Modi: The Saffronisation of the Indian Fitness Influencer

*Nandini Rawat, *Delhi University How Influencers Shape Mainstream Media *Aryan Gupta <https://www.equitechfutures.com/aryan-gupta>, *Delhi University Defence Veterans as a Political Influence Network in India *Agrima Seth <https://agrimaseth.github.io/>, Soham De, Arshia Arya *University of Michigan, Ashoka University, and Microsoft Research India Tasty Platformization: The Promotional Culture around Food Delivery *Simiran Lalvani <https://www.qeh.ox.ac.uk/people/simiran-lalvani>, *University of Oxford Closing Keynote *5:00 PM - 6:00 PM* *Timipre Sylva <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timipre_Sylva>*, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Nigeria Introduced by *Omolade Adunbi <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/oadunbi.html>* *Symposium Organizers:* Joyojeet Pal <https://joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/>, School of Information, University of Michigan Omolade Adunbi <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/oadunbi.html>, DAAS, University of Michigan *Administration* Janaki Phillips <https://lsa.umich.edu/anthro/people/graduate-students/socio-cultural-anthropology/janaki-phillips.html> , Elizabeth James <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/staff/ecnirp.html>, Devika Deshpande, Mohit Padhye *Student Session:* Dipto Das <https://www.colorado.edu/cmci/people/graduate-students/information-science/dipto-das>, College of Media, Communication and Information, University of Colorado, Boulder Anmol Panda <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/anmol-panda>, School of Information, University of Michigan Agrima Seth <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/agrima-seth>, School of Information, University of Michigan For more information, please contact influencers@umich.edu *Event Sponsors* <https://ii.umich.edu/csas> <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/> <https://si.umich.edu/> <https://esc.umich.edu/>