Matti Pohjonen
Biographic Data
| ID | 296503 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matti Pohjonen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matti |
| FAMILY NAME | Pohjonen |
| SIGNATURE | POHJONEN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Helsinki |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1702-6402 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 8 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Artificial intelligence in Ethiopia: Imaginaries of prosperity and politics of control
‘Very small and a bit flat?' Generative AI as miracle and magic trick
This article addresses the question of the ‘magic of AI’ from two interrelated perspectives: first, as a form of belief in the seemingly magical or miraculous ability of AI to replicate human-like knowledge, intelligence and creativity; and second, as a kind of magic trick used by the tech companies to make users believe in AI's extraordinary powers. By reframing AI as both a system of belief and a ritualistic marketing practice, the article argu…
Social media platforms as geopolitical actors: Global inequalities in the social media content moderation of violent conflict
This study examines how major social media platforms articulated their roles as geopolitical actors during two distinct violent conflicts: the Tigray War in Ethiopia and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of platforms’ corporate communications, the article explores how social media companies framed their responsibilities and policy interventions in each case, and how these positions were criticized by state and civ…
Adwa, not Agoa’: Digital propaganda and strategic narratives during the Ethiopian civil war of 2020 to 2022
This article examines how peripheral states deploy narratives to shape perceptions, mobilize support, and resist external pressure in times of conflict. Drawing on the concepts of strategic narratives and participatory propaganda, the authors examine the pro-government campaign on Twitter during the Ethiopian civil war (2020–2022) to understand how governments attempt to control narratives in the context of a domestic armed conflict with an inter…
Reluctant arbiters of truth: Discursive legitimation of platform interventions against Covid-19 misinformation
Major digital platforms have long resisted fact-checking their users, even as public concern about misinformation has grown. We explore how they legitimated a change in this policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using blog posts by Meta, YouTube and Twitter, the study contributes to the body of research on content moderation by US-based platforms as they expand their policies into contested areas. Based on the theories of discursive legitimation, …
Media and power in times of hegemonic crisis: Exploring contentious climate politics on Twitter
During moments of hegemonic crisis, it is crucial to understand the dynamics of media power. This article identifies key structural forces and disruptive tendencies that are factors in a current crisis of the neoliberal hegemonic order. This intellectual background underpins an empirical analysis of Twitter data collected during the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland (COP26). We identify large attention clusters around established political a…
Synthetic ethnography: Field devices for the qualitative study of generative models
Advancements in generative artificial intelligence have led to a rapid proliferation of machine learning models capable of synthesizing text, images, sounds, and other kinds of content. While the increasing realism of synthetic content stokes fears about misinformation and triggers debates around intellectual property, generative models are adopted across creative industries and synthetic media seep into cultural production. Qualitative research …
Clones and zombies: Rethinking conspiracy theories and the digital public sphere through a (post)-colonial perspective
This article investigates what is at stake in decolonising the study of conspiracy theories online. It challenges the confidence with which conspiracy theories are often dismissed as aberrations and negative externalities of digital ecosystems. Without reifying conspiracy theories, we identify as problematic how alternative forms of knowledge production are dismissed and colonial tropes reproduced. Contributing to conversations around ‘decolonisi…
An epistemic proxy war? Popular communication, epistemic contestations and violent conflict in Ethiopia
This paper highlights an understudied perspective on post-truth ideas in online popular communication through an examination of online popular communication during the Ethiopian conflict (or the Tigray War). It argues, in particular, that the epistemic contestations characteristic of the hybrid media environment needs to always be understood as double-layered: contemporary digital media functions both as a site where such contestations can be res…
Demystifying the Covid-19 Infodemic: Conspiracies, Context, and the Agency of Users
This article presents new empirical insights into what people do with conspiracy theories during crises. By suppressing the impulse to distinguish between truth and falsehood, which has characterized most scholarship on the COVID-19 'infodemic,' and engaging with claims surrounding two popular COVID-19 conspiracies-on 5G and on Bill Gates-in South Africa and Nigeria, we illustrate how conspiracies morph as they interact with different socio-polit…
Demystifying the Covid-19 Infodemic: Conspiracies, Context, and the Agency of Users
This article presents new empirical insights into what people do with conspiracy theories during crises. By suppressing the impulse to distinguish between truth and falsehood, which has characterized most scholarship on the COVID-19 'infodemic,' and engaging with claims surrounding two popular COVID-19 conspiracies-on 5G and on Bill Gates-in South Africa and Nigeria, we illustrate how conspiracies morph as they interact with different socio-polit…
Synthetic ethnography: Field devices for the qualitative study of generative models
Advancements in generative artificial intelligence have led to a rapid proliferation of machine learning models capable of synthesizing text, images, sounds, and other kinds of content. While the increasing realism of synthetic content stokes fears about misinformation and triggers debates around intellectual property, generative models are adopted across creative industries and synthetic media seep into cultural production. Qualitative research …
An epistemic proxy war? Popular communication, epistemic contestations and violent conflict in Ethiopia
This paper highlights an understudied perspective on post-truth ideas in online popular communication through an examination of online popular communication during the Ethiopian conflict (or the Tigray War). It argues, in particular, that the epistemic contestations characteristic of the hybrid media environment needs to always be understood as double-layered: contemporary digital media functions both as a site where such contestations can be res…
Demystifying the Covid-19 Infodemic: Conspiracies, Context, and the Agency of Users
This article presents new empirical insights into what people do with conspiracy theories during crises. By suppressing the impulse to distinguish between truth and falsehood, which has characterized most scholarship on the COVID-19 'infodemic,' and engaging with claims surrounding two popular COVID-19 conspiracies-on 5G and on Bill Gates-in South Africa and Nigeria, we illustrate how conspiracies morph as they interact with different socio-polit…
An epistemic proxy war? Popular communication, epistemic contestations and violent conflict in Ethiopia
This paper highlights an understudied perspective on post-truth ideas in online popular communication through an examination of online popular communication during the Ethiopian conflict (or the Tigray War). It argues, in particular, that the epistemic contestations characteristic of the hybrid media environment needs to always be understood as double-layered: contemporary digital media functions both as a site where such contestations can be res…
Clones and zombies: Rethinking conspiracy theories and the digital public sphere through a (post)-colonial perspective
This article investigates what is at stake in decolonising the study of conspiracy theories online. It challenges the confidence with which conspiracy theories are often dismissed as aberrations and negative externalities of digital ecosystems. Without reifying conspiracy theories, we identify as problematic how alternative forms of knowledge production are dismissed and colonial tropes reproduced. Contributing to conversations around ‘decolonisi…
Media and power in times of hegemonic crisis: Exploring contentious climate politics on Twitter
During moments of hegemonic crisis, it is crucial to understand the dynamics of media power. This article identifies key structural forces and disruptive tendencies that are factors in a current crisis of the neoliberal hegemonic order. This intellectual background underpins an empirical analysis of Twitter data collected during the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland (COP26). We identify large attention clusters around established political a…
Synthetic ethnography: Field devices for the qualitative study of generative models
Advancements in generative artificial intelligence have led to a rapid proliferation of machine learning models capable of synthesizing text, images, sounds, and other kinds of content. While the increasing realism of synthetic content stokes fears about misinformation and triggers debates around intellectual property, generative models are adopted across creative industries and synthetic media seep into cultural production. Qualitative research …
Adwa, not Agoa’: Digital propaganda and strategic narratives during the Ethiopian civil war of 2020 to 2022
This article examines how peripheral states deploy narratives to shape perceptions, mobilize support, and resist external pressure in times of conflict. Drawing on the concepts of strategic narratives and participatory propaganda, the authors examine the pro-government campaign on Twitter during the Ethiopian civil war (2020–2022) to understand how governments attempt to control narratives in the context of a domestic armed conflict with an inter…
Reluctant arbiters of truth: Discursive legitimation of platform interventions against Covid-19 misinformation
Major digital platforms have long resisted fact-checking their users, even as public concern about misinformation has grown. We explore how they legitimated a change in this policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using blog posts by Meta, YouTube and Twitter, the study contributes to the body of research on content moderation by US-based platforms as they expand their policies into contested areas. Based on the theories of discursive legitimation, …
Artificial intelligence in Ethiopia: Imaginaries of prosperity and politics of control
‘Very small and a bit flat?' Generative AI as miracle and magic trick
This article addresses the question of the ‘magic of AI’ from two interrelated perspectives: first, as a form of belief in the seemingly magical or miraculous ability of AI to replicate human-like knowledge, intelligence and creativity; and second, as a kind of magic trick used by the tech companies to make users believe in AI's extraordinary powers. By reframing AI as both a system of belief and a ritualistic marketing practice, the article argu…
Social media platforms as geopolitical actors: Global inequalities in the social media content moderation of violent conflict
This study examines how major social media platforms articulated their roles as geopolitical actors during two distinct violent conflicts: the Tigray War in Ethiopia and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of platforms’ corporate communications, the article explores how social media companies framed their responsibilities and policy interventions in each case, and how these positions were criticized by state and civ…
Politics (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Misinformation and Its Impacts (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Media studies (4 works) · Psychology (4 works) · Social Media and Politics (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Epistemology (3 works)