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West Papua has one of the most repressive media landscapes in the world. Consequently, West Papuans have increasingly harnessed social media platforms to broadcast human rights violations committed in West Papua. Through this, Pacific Islanders around the region are increasingly leveraging social media as a political tool for showing solidarity and support for West Papuans. As a result, in recent years there has been a regional groundswell in support for West Papuan demands for self-determination, with prominent political figures such as former Prime Minister Peter O'Neill of Papua New Guinea, and Gordon Darcy Lilo alluding to the awareness on West Papuan issues that have been raised through social media. This commentary explores how the rise of West Papua solidarity is resulting in a heightened Pacific regional consciousness at the community level. Keywords: bottom-up regionalism, censorship, digital politics, Melanesia, Pacific regionalism, West Papua, social media, Introduction FROM tribal lore to the printing press, to the present era of instantaneous electronic communication, the ability of governors and the governed to access information has had profound socio-economic [...]

This article presents an analysis of how social media was used during Tropical Cyclone Winston, the strongest recorded tropical storm that left a wake of destruction and devastation in Fiji during February 2016. Social media is increasingly being used in crises and disasters as an alternative form of communication. Social media use in crisis communication varies according to the context, the disaster and the maturity of social media use. Fiji's experience during TC Winston contributes to the growing literature as it shows how social media was used during each stage of a disaster in a developing country. The article finds that before the cyclone, people used social media to share information about the cyclone and to be informed about the cyclone. During the cyclone, individuals used social media to share their experiences with some citizens capturing the cyclone as it happened and even one citizen live-tweeted her ordeal during the cyclone. Finally, following the cyclone, the hashtag #StrongerThan Winston was coined as a rallying point to bolster a sense of national solidarity. Keywords: crisis response, Cyclone Winston, cyclones, Fiji, disaster communication, Pacific Islands, social media, Introduction This article presents an analysis of social media use in disaster communication during one of the most destructive tropical cyclones to ever be recorded in the world. On 20 [...]

Abstract: This article explores the phenomenon of the use of ICT for climate change activism in the Pacific. Climate change activism in the Pacific is characterised by the use of [...]

West Papua has one of the most repressive media landscapes in the world. Consequently, West Papuans have increasingly harnessed social media platforms to broadcast human rights violations committed in West Papua. Through this, Pacific Islanders around the region are increasingly leveraging social media as a political tool for showing solidarity and support for West Papuans. As a result, in recent years there has been a regional groundswell in support for West Papuan demands for self-determination, with prominent political figures such as former Prime Minister Peter O'Neill of Papua New Guinea, and Gordon Darcy Lilo alluding to the awareness on West Papuan issues that have been raised through social media. This commentary explores how the rise of West Papua solidarity is resulting in a heightened Pacific regional consciousness at the community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International practices of disaster preparedness presume human agency, particularly at the household level, as an important pre-emptive response to anticipated natural hazards. Our analysis of Fijian responses to Tropical Cyclone Winston indicates that preparedness is also regarded as important by cyclone survivors but has a moral dimension that can be used to assign blame to underprepared members of the community. However, Fijian villagers' experiences of terror and awe during Tropical Cyclone Winston also make them aware of the limits of human agency, prompting them to reflect on God's role in the cyclone and the need for collective repentance and renewed Christian commitment. The effectiveness of disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation efforts can only be enhanced by a better understanding of the values of affected communities, including religious and spiritual values. We seek to contribute to this knowledge by showing how disaster preparedness both converges with and diverges from Fijian Christian practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Papua has one of the most repressive media environments in the world with a long history of media censorship and banning of foreign journalists, and only recently has this policy been somewhat relaxed. The tight media restrictions have led to the increasing use of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, by West Papuan activists who broadcast the atrocities and human rights violations committed in West Papua. Driven by developments in information and communications technologies, Pacific Islanders are increasingly “switching on” and leveraging social media as a political tool. Digital tools such as hashtags are being used to organize, share, and disseminate stories and Free West Papuan messages. This has garnered support from all over the world and created “digital villages” of Free West Papuan activists. The Free West Papuan campaign has received an unprecedented level of global attention with prominent politicians, such as Papua New Guinea’s prime minister, Peter O’Neil, coming out in support of West Papua with reference to graphic images posted on social media. This article illustrates how social media are ushering in a new wave of Pacific activism and also fostering the rebirth of bottom-up regionalism in the Pacific using the case of the Free West Papua movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]