Introduction: Ten years of WhatsApp: The role of chat apps in the formation and mobilization of online publics

Authors

  • Emma Baulch
  • Ariadna Matamoros-Fernández
  • Amelia Johns

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v25i12.10412

Abstract

This special issue, curated by Emma Baulch, Ariadna Matamoros-Fernández, and Amelia Johns, marks the end of the first decade of WhatsApp’s existence and offers a collection of essays on the importance of this technology in everyday life. Considering the rapid uptake and ubiquity of WhatsApp in places beyond the Anglophone world, including Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, and Spain, the seven papers interrogate the opportunities and challenges that the app affords to activists and ordinary users through its main features: end-to-end encryption, groups, and the forward function.

Author Biographies

Emma Baulch

Associate Professor of Media and Communication at Monash Malaysia

Ariadna Matamoros-Fernández

Lecturer in Digital Media at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

Amelia Johns

Senior Lecturer in Digital & Social Media at the University of Technology Sydney

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Published

2020-01-05

How to Cite

Baulch, E., Matamoros-Fernández, A., & Johns, A. (2020). Introduction: Ten years of WhatsApp: The role of chat apps in the formation and mobilization of online publics. First Monday, 25(12). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v25i12.10412