How can we delve into the intricate and multifaceted relationship among digital media, politics, and society? What transformations have occurred in this relationship over the past two decades? From the static internet to social media, from cybercafe to smart phones, from the authoritarian system to semi-authoritarian to (transition to) democracy (and back again) there have been multiple layers of change that are embedded in the trajectory of the field of digital media and politics.

Through a juxtaposition of narratives from scholarly and personal journeys, Merlyna Lim will invite participants to embark on a reflective examination of the research domain, focusing on (digital) media and politics, capturing both the mediatization of politics and the politicization of media. Lim will invite participants to untangle the intertwined threads of political, intellectual, and personal narratives, revealing their interconnectedness and complementarity. Moreover, Lim will also challenge participants to contemplate how their research speaks to real-world problems and how it intersects with pressing societal challenges.

Merlyna Lim is Canada Research Chair in Digital Media and Global Network Society at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication and the founder/director of ALiGN Media Lab. Her research focuses on the mutual shaping of technology and society, focusing particularly on digital media and information technology and their implications for justice, equality, democracy, and citizen engagement. Notable publications include "Roots, Routes, Routers" (2018) and "Online Collective Action" (2014). Lim's interdisciplinary work draws from diverse fields such as science and technology studies, sociology, urban geography, and critical media studies. Grounding her empirical investigations primarily in the Global South, she positions the region as not only a research site but also a source of innovative methods and theoretical interventions.