Assessing New Media’s Cultural Impact
It has been said that the opportunity for growth in third-world countries will come from technological innovation and the adoption of new technologies. How a government manages emerging technologies has strong implications for its citizens, and nowhere is this more evident than in countries where access to even basic necessities is often fraught with challenges.
Perhaps no one is more aware of this fact than Dr. Kwasi Boateng, an associate professor in the School of Mass Communication, whose work gets to the very heart of how a global society communicates.
“His expertise in the area of social networking and open-source software provides a strong connection to his teaching,” said Dr. Olaf Hoerschelmann, director of the School of Mass Communication. “He has developed a substantial research agenda that reflects well on our School of Mass Communication and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.”
Dr. Boateng’s research has addressed key issues regarding the Internet and the National Communications Authority, a regulatory body in the small sub-Saharan country of Ghana. Dr. Boateng received his undergraduate degree from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and knows firsthand the effects of local culture on broader societal issues.
In addition to teaching courses on Internet regulation and policy, Dr. Boateng shares his expertise with students who are interested in learning about web design, motion graphics, media, and culture. His students have built websites for nonprofit organizations using open-source content management systems, and they have organized workshops to introduce high school and middle school students to open source tools for online communication.
He is the author or co-author of numerous articles and works, including his 2010 publication, Joomla! Social Networking with JomSocial, which provides instructions on how to use a free content management system to develop a social network.
Dr. Boateng received a Ph.D. in mass communications, an M.A. degree in media management and an M.A. degree in international affairs from Ohio University.